Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001 (No. 184) - Slovakia (Ratification: 2002)

The Committee notes the information that, during the period covered by the report, new legislation, which gives further effect to the Convention, has been adopted including Act No. 124/2006, Coll. on Safety and Protection of Health at Work (as amended); Act No. 125/2006 Coll. on Labour Inspection; Amendments to Act No. 82/2005 Coll. on Illegal Work and Illegal Employment; Act No. 103/2007 Coll. on Tripartite Consultations at the National Level; Act No. 355/2007 Coll. on the Protection, Support and Development of Public Health; Act No. 67/2010 Coll. on the Terms and Conditions for the Introduction of Chemical Substances and Chemical Mixtures on the Market; and Decree No. 45/2010 concerning particulars for ensuring safety and protection of health at agricultural work. The Committee also notes the information provided concerning effect given to Articles 4(2)(c), 5(1) 7(b), 8(1)(a) and (4), 10(a), 13(2), 14 and 19(b) of the Convention. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on legislative measures undertaken with regard to the Convention.

Article 6(2) of the Convention. Information on legal or other provisions prescribing cooperation between two or more employers undertaking activities in an agricultural workplace. The Committee notes the further information provided indicating that section 18 of Act No. 330/1996 on safety and protection of health at work, as amended by later regulations, prescribes cooperation between several employers or natural persons at a single workplace. The Committee reiterates its request to the Government to provide samples of the type of written agreements regulating such cooperation as provided for in section 9 of the abovementioned Act with its next report.

Article 16(1) and (3). Legislative measures prescribing an age limit for the employment of young workers in agriculture. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s first report, the minimum age for the handling of farm animals was 16 years; and for persons handling and breeding animals and for the handling of machinery, was 18 years. According to the Government some of the relevant regulations were obsolete. The Government also refers to relevant general provisions including the provisions in the Labour Code – Act No. 311/2001 (as amended). The Committee notes that the referenced legislation does not fix any generally applicable specific age limit for employment of young workers in agriculture. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on how these provisions are applied, in law and in practice, in the country.

Part V of the report form. Application in practice. The Committee takes this opportunity to bring the Government’s attention to the Meeting of Experts that was held 25–29 October 2010 to adopt a code of practice in agriculture (see www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/techmeet/mesha10/index.htm). With reference to its previous comments, the Committee again requests the Government to include with its next report copies of internal instructions of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, and of the National Labour Inspectorate in the form of “Directive for education and training of trainee inspectors” and “Directive for continuing education and professional training of inspectors” elaborated in development of paragraph 8 of Act No. 95/2000 on labour inspection, as amended by later regulations referred to in the report. The Committee would also be grateful if the Government would provide extracts from inspection reports and, where such statistics exist, information on the number of workers covered by the measures giving effect to its provisions, disaggregated by sex if available, the number and nature of infringements reported, etc.