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

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Caribbean Part of the Netherlands

Article 1 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the legislation pertaining to the three islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba remain unchanged. The Committee further notes that the Netherlands Government supports the public bodies in the three islands in relation to the public employment service and in the development of the respective employment service policies, with the professionalization of the job placement function as a priority. The Government reports that the municipality of Leiden is currently implementing a twinning programme aimed at providing the public employment services of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba with relevant methods and skills to effectively foster recruitment and placement and assist workers and employers in job matching. The Committee welcomes the Government’s indication that a special focus is being placed on supporting and encouraging the participation in the labour market of persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that the process will take time and will need to address specific challenges, due to the differences between the islands and to their sparse populations. Furthermore, the Government reports that, in an administrative agreement (Bestuursakkoord Bonaire 2018-2022), the Government of the Netherlands and the public authorities of Bonaire have undertaken to establish a job center on the island, which will also build on the experiences and results of the twinning project between Bonaire and Leiden. The social partners have expressed their willingness to contribute to the implementation of this agreement. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the nature and extent of collaboration between the municipality of Leiden and the employment institutions of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba and the results achieved, as well as to provide updated information on progress made in establishing a job center in Bonaire. The Committee further requests the Government to provide information on the activities carried out by the public employment services in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to ensure “the best possible organisation of the labour market”, particularly in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic, including information on the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified, and the number of persons placed in employment by these services. In addition, the Government is requested to provide information on the nature and impact of measures taken to meet the employment needs of persons with disabilities (Article 7 (b)).