Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Iran (Islamic Republic of) (Ratification: 1972)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in August 2012 which includes information on the 2011–12 “Law to Redevelop the Business Market” designed to remove obstacles to job creation and to reduce the unemployment rate. The Government reports that 1,375,000 jobs were created in 2010. The Committee notes the creation of the Council of Dialogue, under the framework of the Fifth Development Plan, established to coordinate policy implementation between the Government and the private sector. The Government indicates that the Supreme Council of Employment has committed banks to provide financial resources to support projects promoting entrepreneurship, small businesses and home jobs. The Government highlights its efforts to create 110 enterprises and credit unions and support 77 micro-credit unions, including its coordination with NGOs to create micro-credit unions in rural and urban areas. It also refers to the job creation measures implemented by the Imam Reza Mehr Fund. Moreover, the Government indicates that it has shifted macro policy planning down to the general governors, who will monitor implementation and submit three-month performance reports to the presidential office. The Committee notes the Prospective Plan of Development of industrial and mines strategy, aimed at increasing the growth rate of value-added products, diversifying the base of industrial exports and increasing the share of products with further processing in exports, forming commercial clusters between related industries and expanding the cooperation between universities and industry. It also notes the information provided on the Fund to Support Unemployed Workers, noting that 182,995 persons received unemployment insurance payments and 31,635 persons received training stipends in 2011. The Committee invites the Government to provide, in its next report, further information on the procedures and mechanisms established to review and assess the results of its employment policy measures. It also invites the Government to include information on the policies that promote full, productive and lasting employment opportunities to the unemployed in the different regions of the country. Please also continue to provide information on the impact of measures taken under the Fund to Support Unemployed Workers and on the measures taken or envisaged to strengthen labour market institutions.

Labour market information. The Government indicates that a website was launched in 2008 to provide up-to-date information on changes in the labour market and a “Local Job Placement Services” website was launched in 2009 to provide statistics on those seeking jobs through non-governmental job placement. The Committee invites the Government to continue to provide information on any improvements made to its labour market information system.

Women. Youth employment. The Committee notes that the Centre for Women and Family Affairs signed various agreements with organizations to achieve women’s self-employment, focusing on women in both rural and urban regions. The Government reports that the Centre for Women and Family’s Affairs approved 174 projects, of which 38 are related to job creation and professional training. The Government enumerates a broad range of activities to promote women’s employment in different provinces of the country. Activities include training, support for revenue-generating projects, empowerment workshops, the establishment of cooperatives, prioritizing female university students for technical and vocational training and harmonizing job skills with the needs of society and family. The Committee notes the creation of the Foundation of Cooperatives and Development of Entrepreneurship of Women to create 100,000 jobs, with a priority given to women heads of households and university graduates. With respect to youth employment, the Government provides information on a series of programmes aimed at improving the link between education and job orientation, including consultation services and job exams. The Committee notes that the Vocational and Technical Organization offered training to young persons and 87,752 obtained employment following their participation. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report information on the impact of the measures taken to promote productive employment opportunities for women and young persons.

Integration of Afghan workers in the labour market. The Government indicates that there are 1,500,000 Afghan citizens not residing legally in the country and 900,000 Afghan refugees. The Government reports that the Foreign Nationals Department of Ministry Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare aims to systemize the employment of all foreign nationals, improve services to employers who employ foreign workers, institutionalize the participation of the non-governmental sectors and increase the number and supervision of organizations for foreign nationals. The Government further indicates that it conducts workplace inspections to identify foreign nationals and grant them temporary work permits, having issued 315,000 temporary permits in 2012. The Government indicates that it hopes that this issue could be addressed in collaboration with the Government of Afghanistan and international organizations. The Committee would appreciate receiving further information on the integration of Afghan workers and other foreign workers in the local labour market including information on the nature of the jobs available for those workers (see Part X of the Employment Policy (Supplementary Provisions) Recommendation, 1984 (No. 169)).

Article 3. Participation of the social partners. The Government refers again to the representation of the workers’ and employers’ organizations in the Supreme Council of Employment. The Committee invites the Government to provide further information on the manner in which representatives of the social partners are consulted concerning employment policies, and what steps are taken to ensure that their views are fully taken into account and how such cooperation is secured for the purposes of formulating and enlisting support for such policies.

[The Government is asked to reply, in detail, to the present comments in 2014.]