Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 2013, publiée 103ème session CIT (2014)

Convention (n° 129) sur l'inspection du travail (agriculture), 1969 - Zimbabwe (Ratification: 1993)

Referring to its observation, the Committee would like to raise the following additional points.

Article 9(3) of the Convention. Training of labour inspectors for the performance of their duties. The Committee notes with interest that, with a view to improving labour inspection in agriculture, the Government organized three capacity-building training workshops in March 2013, which were attended by officials appointed by the Employment Council for the agricultural sector. These workshops focused on conciliation, arbitration, freedom of association and collective bargaining. Drawing the Government’s attention to paragraphs 181 187 of its 2006 General Survey on labour inspection, the Committee asks the Government to indicate the measures taken to ensure that labour inspectors performing duties in agricultural enterprises receive initial training and further training in the course of their employment, which is adequate and takes account of developments in technology and methods of work (risks of accidents and specific diseases, particularly inherent in the machinery and tools used, as well as in the handling of chemical products and substances).

Articles 12(1) and 24. Effective cooperation between the labour inspection services and the services responsible for enforcing penalties for obstructing the work of labour inspectors. In the event of labour inspectors being obstructed in the course of their duties, the Government states that the labour inspectors report the problem to the police and the offender is prosecuted. However, the Government adds that no cases of obstruction have been reported because the legal provisions are clear and sufficiently dissuasive to prevent such situations. The Committee requests the Government to specify whether the labour inspectors are able to turn to the police for support to help them carry out their inspection visits if they are obstructed in the performance of their duties, particularly inspection visits in workplaces liable to inspection.