Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Uruguay (Ratification: 1977)

Article 1 of the Convention. National policy designed to ensure the effective abolition of child labour. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the work of amending Chapter XII of the Children and Young Persons Code and to raise the minimum age for admission to work or employment from 15 to 16 years was not successful before the Parliament of Uruguay. The Committee also notes the information provided by the Government concerning the awareness-raising action undertaken in the framework of the implementation of the ILO SCREAM methodology, entitled “Supporting children’s rights through education, the arts and the media”. It further notes that, according to the information provided by the Government in relation to the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), the National Committee for the Elimination of Child Labour (CETI) adopted in May 2010 a Plan of Action for the elimination of child labour in waste collection (2011–15). The Committee encourages the Government to pursue its efforts to ensure the effective abolition of child labour and requests it to provide information on the measures adopted and the results achieved within the framework of the Plan of Action for the elimination of child labour in waste collection. It requests the Government to provide a copy of the Plan of Action with its next report.

Article 3(2). Determination of hazardous types of work. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the list of hazardous types of work was revised in 2009 by the CETI and is awaiting approval by executive decree. The Committee expresses the firm hope that the list of hazardous types of work will be adopted in the near future and requests the Government to continue providing information on any developments in this respect.

Article 9(2). Persons responsible for enforcing the Convention. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the authorities responsible for supervising the application of the Convention are, on the one hand, the General Labour and Social Security Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labour and, on the other, the National Inspection Department on the Employment of Children and Young Persons of the INAU. It noted that the latter is facing a shortage of human resources, although steps have been taken to recruit new inspectors.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the selection process for the recruitment of new inspectors was closed in 2010. However, the selection process has still not been completed and the number of approved inspectors is still five. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the measures taken to strengthen the capacity of the inspectors of the National Inspection Department on the Employment of Children and Young Persons of the INAU.