Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160) - Bolivia (Plurinational State of) (Ratification: 1990)

The Committee takes note of the Government’s report received on 2 September 2009, containing information in reply to its previous comments.

Article 8 of the Convention. The Committee notes that the last population census was conducted in 2001. It also notes that in reply to the Committee of Expert’s direct request 2003, the Government annexed to its report the document “Bolivia: Características de la Populación con Enfoque de Género”. However, no methodological information is provided regarding the population census and data on the economically active population relating to the 2001 census concern only the total and the disaggregation by sex. The latest population census methodology concerns 1992. The Committee invites the Government to provide methodological information relating to the 2001 population census (Article 6) and to supply relevant data as soon as practicable.

Articles 9, 10, 11 and 16. While recalling that none of these Articles has been accepted, the Committee takes note of the information provided by the Government regarding the development in the partial relevant statistics and would be grateful if the Government would keep the ILO informed of any progress made or steps it intends to make, to compile and publish statistics covered by Articles 9(2) and 10 in line with the international guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Committee draws the Government’s attention to the new international standards concerning the measurement of working time, in resolution I, adopted by the 18th International Conference of Labour Statisticians, whose larger number of concepts and measures are defined in depth. The resolution is accessible via: www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Statistics/standards/resolutions/
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Article 12. The Committee notes that no specific information is contained in the Government’s report regarding consumer price indices (CPI) and that no changes have taken place in the compilation of these statistics since the last report. However, the ILO publishes the new CPI series (base 2007 = 100) computed by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Bolivia (INE). Data on CPI were received in reply to the ILO questionnaires for publication in the 2009 edition of the Yearbook and Bulletin of Labour Statistics. These data are also disseminated on http://laborsta.ilo.org. Moreover, yearly and monthly CPI series have also been updated on the basis of data disseminated on the INE website (http://www.ine.gov.bo). The CPI series are computed monthly. The latest CPI data available at the ILO refer to March 2010 and the website of INE (http://www.ine.gov.bo) publishes also methodological information. Since the compilation of the statistics covered by this Article appears to fulfil all the requirements of the Convention, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would envisage the possibility of accepting the obligations under Article 12, in accordance with Article 16(3).

Articles 13 and 16. According to the information supplied in response to the ILO methodological questionnaire, national household income and expenditure surveys (Encuesta de hogares – MECOVI) has been conducted with annual periodicity. The results of the survey have not been reported to the ILO, however. The Committee notes that those relating to the 2005 survey are available on the INE website at www.ine.gov.bo/, as are the poverty and income distribution estimates for the period 1999–07. Since it appears that the compilation of the statistics covered by this Article is fulfilled, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would envisage the possibility of  accepting the obligations under Article 13 in accordance with Article 16(3).

Article 14. The Committee notes that the report contains no information about statistics on occupational injuries or diseases. The most recent data received by the ILO for publication in the Yearbook of Labour Statistics refer to 1999. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on any development regarding the compilation and publication of statistics covered by this Article.

Article 15. The Committee notes that no information on the application of this Article is contained in the Government’s report, nor is any new statistical or methodological information provided. No new information has been provided since the response to the 2003 direct request, regarding the activities announced for the development of statistics of strikes and lockouts, which were to be submitted to the ILO (Article 2). The more recent data available for statistics of strikes and lockouts refer to 1996 and no new statistics have been received at the ILO since 2001. Noting that the voluminous information provided in the Government’s report in response to its previous comment does not cover its obligations with respect to statistics of strikes and lockouts (and Articles 2, 5 and 6), and that unfortunately no statistics of strikes and lockouts are available past the year 1996, the Committee requests once again the Government to keep the ILO informed of the measures it envisages to collect and disseminate the relevant statistics as well as their methodological description used.