Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2020, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Convention concerning Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work, 1938 (No. 63) - Uruguay (Ratification: 1954)

Parts I–IV of the Convention. Statistics relating to wages and hours of work. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that no changes have taken place since its previous report affecting the application of these Parts of the Convention. The Committee takes note of the information provided by the Government in its report concerning statistics on wages and hours of work. It notes that these are compiled through three main surveys conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INE): the Average Wages Index (IMS) (a monthly establishment survey), the Annual Survey of Economic Activity (an annual establishment survey), and the Continuous Household Survey (which allows for the production of monthly statistics). In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the Government planned to make a change to the basis for the IMS average wage index in 2018. While the Committee notes that this change has not yet taken place, it understands that the Government is looking into the possibility of incorporating administrative records for the calculation of the IMS. It further notes that statistics on working time and earnings of employees in mining and manufacturing are regularly submitted to the ILO Department of Statistics, while statistics and hours of work in agriculture are compiled primarily through the continuous household survey and the results are disseminated through the INE website. The Committee welcomes the information provided by the Government in its report and requests the Government to continue to provide the statistics required on the matters covered by Parts II–IV of the Convention. In addition, it requests the Government to continue to provide information on any developments regarding the application of the Convention.

The Committee notes that the compilation and dissemination of labour statistics in Uruguay through the continuous household survey in place is substantially in accordance with the requirements of the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160). In this context, the Committee recalls the recommendations of the Fourth Meeting of the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group in September 2018, confirming the status of Convention No. 63 as an outdated instrument. It therefore encourages the Government to consider ratification of the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160), as the most up-to-date instrument on labour statistics, resulting in the automatic denunciation of Convention No. 63. The Committee notes that the possible ratification by Uruguay of Convention No. 63 would be particularly opportune in light of the Governing Body’s decision at its 334th Session (October–November 2018) to place an item on the agenda of the International Labour Conference in 2024 for consideration of the abrogation of Convention No. 63, on the recommendation of the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group. The Committee once again reminds the Government of the availability of ILO technical assistance in this regard.