Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129) - Bolivia (Plurinational State of) (Ratification: 1977)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report received on 2 August 2005 does not reply to its comments addressed in 2004. It must therefore repeat its previous observation, which read as follows:

Also referring to its observation under Convention No. 81, the Committee notes that, owing to the economic crisis, the Government is encountering economic and financial restrictions which affect in particular the implementation of monitoring functions relating to the application of labour legislation and occupational safety standards in the agricultural sector. The Committee notes with interest, however, that despite these difficulties a pilot project has been implemented by the Ministry of Labour in the regions of Bermejo, Yacuiba, Villamontes and Riberalta and that the officials operating in these regions are doing their utmost to perform their duties in accordance with the provisions of the General Labour Act, its implementing decree and other connected standards.

The Committee also notes that the Government hopes that, when the labour inspection system is reorganized as a result of the ILO/FORSAT multilateral cooperation project, of regional scope, to strengthen the labour administrations, the functioning of this system will be able to be extended to the agricultural sector. The Committee recalls that the ratification of the present Convention implies de jure obligations whose aim is the coverage of needs specific to agricultural undertakings by the inspection services with respect to monitoring of the legislation concerning conditions of work and worker protection. The Government is therefore requested to take measures promptly to ensure the implementation of such obligations, without prejudice to any improvement expected from the overall reorganization of the inspection system which is under way, and to communicate to the ILO all available information requested in the report form according to the provisions of the Convention.

The Committee also requests the Government to provide further information on the activities undertaken and the results obtained by the inspection services involved in the implementation of the abovementioned pilot project.

Part V of the report form and article 23(2) of the ILO Constitution. Recalling the obligation to communicate to representative organizations of employers and workers, under the abovementioned article of the Constitution, copies of reports and information transmitted to the ILO Director-General, particularly under article 22 of the ILO Constitution, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate the precise reasons which might explain the failure to implement these provisions in relation to the present Convention.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the very near future.