Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2007, published 97th ILC session (2008)

Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97) - Grenada (Ratification: 1979)

1. Article 1 of the Convention. Obligation to provide information. The Committee notes the legal provisions outlined in the Government’s report concerning immigration and emigration, including the provisions on the work permit system, free movement of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals, free employment services, medical services, and facilitation of journey. However, little information has been provided on the actual implementation of these provisions or any practical measures taken. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on all national policies, laws and regulations on labour migration, their implementation, as well as information on any practical measures taken to apply the various provisions of the Convention. In this regard, the Government is requested to provide updated statistical information on the number, places of origin, and sector of activity, disaggregated by sex, of migrant workers in Grenada. For further guidance, the Government is referred to the report form of the Convention.

2. Misleading propaganda. Noting from the report that there is no legal provision concerning this issue, the Committee recalls that under Article 3 of the Convention, the Government is obliged to take, as far as national laws and regulations permit, all appropriate steps against misleading propaganda relating to emigration and immigration. The Government thus has an obligation to prevent the dissemination of false information to nationals leaving the country and nationals arriving in the country (General Survey of 1999 on migrant workers, paragraph 217). The Committee further notes that the Recruiting Workers Act provides for the recruitment of workers seeking employment abroad through licensed agencies. The Committee, therefore, requests the Government to indicate the measures taken by the Government to prevent the dissemination of misleading propaganda, including by licensed agencies.

3. Equal treatment. The Committee recalls the Government’s obligation under Article 6(1) to apply, without discrimination in respect of nationality, race, religion or sex, to migrant workers lawfully within its territory treatment no less favourable than that applied to the country’s nationals in respect of remuneration, trade union rights, accommodation, taxes, social security and access to the justice system. In the absence of any information in the Government’s report, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the specific legal provisions and practical measures taken to ensure that all men and women migrant workers enjoy equal treatment concerning all the areas covered in Article 6(1), as well as information on relevant judicial decisions or cases addressed by the competent authorities.

4. Agreements and special arrangements. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on any agreements or special arrangement on migration of labour that may have been made, including information on relevant CARICOM agreements and their application in practice. In addition, please provide an update concerning the operation of the scheme agreed upon with Canada concerning recruitment of agricultural workers on a short-time basis.