Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Madagascar (Ratification: 1961)

Article 1 of the Convention. Protection against discrimination. For several years, the Committee has been emphasizing that neither the Labour Code nor the Civil Service Regulations prohibit discrimination on all the grounds covered by the Convention and has been asking the Government to take the necessary measures to bring the legislation into conformity with the Convention. The Committee noted that the Labour Code does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of colour and social origin (section 261), and that the Civil Service Statute does not prohibit discrimination on grounds of race, colour and social origin (section 5). The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that, in March 2016, the National Labour Inspectors Conference (SAIT) raised the issue of amending the Labour Code provisions concerning prohibited grounds for discrimination and that a draft to introduce colour and social origin into the list of these grounds and expressly prohibit all discrimination, including indirect discrimination, will be transferred shortly to the National Labour Council (CNT) in order to gather the opinions of the social partners in this regard. With regard to the public service, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that, while it considers that the term “colour” is not appropriate to the reality of Malagasy society, it is currently studying the possibility of including this motive in the list of grounds of prohibited discrimination. The Government adds that it also plans to introduce the provisions defining and prohibiting all discrimination, including indirect discrimination, and that all these issues will be raised during the forthcoming revision of the Civil Service Regulations. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on progress made regarding the revision of the Labour Code and the Civil Service Regulations to harmonize and supplement national legislative provisions in order to prohibit, in both the public and the private sectors, any discrimination on all of the grounds listed in the Convention, including race, colour and social origin, and to include a definition of discrimination which explicitly covers indirect discrimination. The Committee requests the Government to indicate any measures taken or envisaged in this respect, in cooperation with workers’ and employers’ organizations. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the interpretation and application in practice of section 261 of the Labour Code and section 5 of the Civil Service Regulations, and to provide copies of any administrative or judicial decisions issued in accordance with these provisions.

Discriminatory job vacancy announcements. In its previous comments, the Committee noted the allegations of the General Confederation of Workers’ Unions of Madagascar (FISEMA) concerning the fact that vacancies for jobs as guards, domestic employees or workers in export processing zones advertised on the radio or through notices in the street, impose affiliation to a certain religion as a condition for recruitment or specify that the job is solely for men or women. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that some advertisements for vacancies on radio or through notices in public places, are discriminatory in nature with regard to religion or sex. Given that the advertisement of job vacancies on the radio or on public notices has become common practice, the Government indicates that it envisages adopting legislation to regulate this practice in line with the provisions of the Convention. The Committee trusts that the Government will adopt, in cooperation with the workers’ and employers’ organizations, measures aimed at enforcing national legislation and prohibiting in practice all forms of direct and indirect discrimination on all the grounds listed in the Convention, including religion and sex, in job vacancies advertised on the radio or on public notices. It requests the Government to provide information on any progress made in this regard.

Domestic workers. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the Christian Confederation of Malagasy Trade Unions (SEKRIMA) highlighted the precarious nature of the conditions of employment of domestic workers, some being employed without an employment contract. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that domestic workers enjoy the same rights as other workers, as labour legislation is applicable to them and they can lodge complaints with the labour inspectorate in cases of violations of their rights. The Committee notes, however, that, in its concluding observations, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expressed its concern about the precarious situation of women and girls in domestic work in private households and recommended that the Government strengthen the capacity of labour inspectors to monitor workplaces, including in private households (CEDAW/C/MDG/CO/6-7, 24 November 2015, paragraphs 30–31). The Committee trusts that the Government will take the necessary measures to ensure that domestic workers enjoy, in practice, the protection set out in the provisions of the Labour Code, particularly those relating to non-discrimination and employment conditions. It requests the Government to provide detailed information on the number and outcomes of checks conducted by labour inspectors to ensure the effective application of the provisions of the Labour Code for domestic workers, by sending extracts from inspection reports or relevant studies.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.