Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Suriname (Ratification: 1976)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Active employment policy measures. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that there have been no legislative or administrative changes since its last report. The Government indicates that it is in the process of implementing the recently adopted Decent Work Country Programme with technical advisory support from the ILO. The Committee further notes that the Labour Exchange Bureau and the Foundation for Labour Mobilization and Development (SAO), two of the national institutions responsible for employment policy, have launched the Labour Market Policy Programme (Programma arbeidsmarketbeleid), training 60 persons in rural areas of the country to enhance their employability. The Government reports that, from June 2012 to December 2013, the Employment Agency of the Labour Market Department went to underprivileged neighbourhoods and rural areas of the country, in addition to Paramaribo, to bring services to jobseekers. The Agency registered 462 persons residing in these underprivileged areas with the Labour Exchange Bureau, out of which 66 persons were placed and 25 were provided with training. The Government reports that, according to ILOSTAT, the unemployment rate in Paramaribo and Waricka reached 10.7 per cent in 2014. The Committee further notes that, according to the 2016 Economic Survey of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Suriname’s economy contracted by an estimated 2 per cent in 2015, as falling oil and gold prices took their toll on the national economy. In addition, the ECLAC Economic Survey indicates that the closure of the Suralco Alumina Refinery in late 2015 led to steep declines in exports and foreign exchange earnings. The Survey indicates that, given the economic downturn, unemployment is estimated to have risen in 2015 and 2016 by two or more percentage points. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information in its next report, including statistics disaggregated by age and sex, on trends in the labour market relating to employment, unemployment and underemployment in both urban and rural areas of the country. It further requests the Government to provide information on measures taken or envisaged to address the economic situation in the country and promote job-rich and inclusive growth.

Article 3. Consultation with the social partners and affected groups. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the social partners are consulted in the beginning when the overall government policy is formulated. The Government adds that the Labour Advisory Board (AAC), the technical Social Economic Council (SER) and the Tripartite Consultation (TO) are all used to consult the social partners. In its 2010 General Survey concerning employment instruments, paragraph 91, the Committee noted that “it is the joint responsibility of governments and the representative organizations of employers and workers to ensure that representatives of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of the active population are associated as closely as possible with the formulation and implementation of measures of which they should be the prime beneficiaries”. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information in its next report on specific measures taken or envisaged to ensure the participation of workers’ and employers’ organizations in the formulation and implementation of employment policies as well as on measures taken to consult representatives of the groups affected by these policies. It further requests the Government to provide examples of decisions reached through such consultations.

Support to small and medium-sized enterprises. The Government reports that the Foundation for Productive Work Units (SPWE) continues to provide technical and administrative assistance to small enterprises by offering coaching and consultancy services. It undertakes research on problems and possibilities for small enterprises and it organizes tailor-made trainings for start-ups and small enterprises. The Government reports that, during the period from May 2012 to May 2015, the SPWE provided training to 1,497 potential entrepreneurs (775 women and 722 men). The Government indicates that the Board for Cooperatives (RACO) is in charge of providing training to cooperatives on administration and management. During the abovementioned period, the RACO supported the development of five cooperatives in rural areas and held training sessions for students based in these regions, focusing on the agriculture and handicraft sectors. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on measures taken to support the establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises and the impact of such measures in stimulating employment, including for persons belonging to groups vulnerable to decent work deficits and exclusion from the labour market, such as persons with disabilities, and indigenous and tribal peoples.

Women’s employment. Education and vocational training. The Committee notes the adoption in 2014 of the National Basic Care Insurance Act, the General Pensions Act, which includes maternity protection provisions, and the Minimum Wage Act. The legislation aims to facilitate participation of women in the labour market. The Government indicates that the National Basic Care Insurance Act covers pregnancy expenses except remuneration and promotes the employability of women, as well as the newly established After School Programme (Naschoolse Opvang). With regard to the Minimum Wage Act, adopted by the National Assembly, The Government adds that the Minimum Wage Act aims to reduce the gender wage gap. A draft of a new Maternity Protection Act, to guarantee the rights of pregnant women and mothers, has to be submitted to the Labour Advisory Board. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact of the employment measures taken to facilitate the participation of women in the labour market. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information, including statistics disaggregated by sex and age, on the impact of its technical and vocational training programmes in terms of providing employment opportunities to its beneficiaries, particularly women and young persons.