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

Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156) - Uruguay (Ratification: 1989)

Article 3. National policy. The Committee notes that the Government states that: (1) in 2010, diagnoses were carried out of the current conditions for childcare in the country; (2) a working group was set up to plan a national system of care under the National Council on Social Policy which will be made up of various ministries; (3) under the working group, a seminar was conducted on care needs and the equitable distribution of care between men and women, and a “Document on guidelines, conceptual input and workplan” was produced. The Committee observes that the document establishes that the objectives of the national care system include that of enabling persons with family responsibilities to engage in work without being subject to discrimination. The document also highlights the need for the system to have state participation as well as participation by the social partners, including the trade unions and other political players, and provides for the setting up of a care system for children and for dependent persons with disabilities and dependent elderly adults. The Committee notes that according to the document, the care system is to be ready for September 2011. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the national care system and its impact on the application of the Convention. It also asks the Government to send information on any other measures deemed necessary to achieve full implementation of the Convention and the measures taken for that purpose.

Article 4(a) and (b). The Committee notes that the Government states that: (1) the internal rules of the Ministry for Social Development entitle persons with family responsibilities to ten days’ leave, and also allows 15 days’ paternity leave and provides for a flexible working day for civil servants with young children or dependent family members, and has a childcare service; (2) the establishment of rooms for breastfeeding has been promoted in public and private enterprises under the “Quality with gender equity” programme and the “Development” project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and (3) strategies have been developed regarding services for workers with family responsibilities with respect to children, adolescents, persons with disabilities and dependent elderly persons. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the implementation of these measures and programmes, the number of enterprises and institutions involved, the number of men and women workers covered, and their impact on the working conditions of workers with family responsibilities.

Article 5. Services and facilities for the care of children and other members of the family. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that under Act No. 18.617 of 23 October 2009, work is being done to put into operation the National Institute for the Elderly (INAM) with the aim of enabling a better response on the part of the State to the need for care for the elderly. Furthermore, in February 2010, the Act on comprehensive protection for persons with disabilities was passed and the National Programme for Persons with Disabilities (PRONADIS) was adopted. The Committee also notes the statistical information on children receiving care and the coverage rate. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on these measures, on the number of workers they cover and on their impact on the application of the Convention. It also asks the Government to continue to provide statistical information on childcare as regards existing facilities, whether public or private, the number of persons covered and the ratio between the supply and demand of places.

Article 6. Raising awareness about the principle of the Convention. The Committee notes that the National Institute for Women undertook awareness-raising activities about domestic tasks and responsibilities and their equitable distribution in 2008 and 2009, and studies were conducted on the subject. The Government states that the Tripartite Committee on Equal Opportunities and Treatment in Employment (CTIOTE) also carries out awareness-raising activities. The Committee requests the Government to continue to send detailed information on activities for training and awareness raising regarding the principle of the Convention.

Articles 9 and 11. Developing legislation with the participation of the social partners. The Committee notes the proposals made by the CTIOTE to amend the preliminary draft bill on maternity and breastfeeding, concerning the extension of maternity leave to between 14 and 16 weeks, and the possibility of granting parental leave after maternity leave, which may be taken by either parent. There is also a proposal for a “parental co-responsibility allowance”, which consists in financing a reduction in working hours in the first six months of the children’s lives for one of the parents. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the status of the Act on maternity and breastfeeding and on any other legislative proposals relating to the application of the Convention.