Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1994, published 81st ILC session (1994)

Equality of Treatment (Social Security) Convention, 1962 (No. 118) - Suriname (Ratification: 1976)

Article 5 of the Convention (branch (g): employment injury benefit). The Committee recalls that section 6, subsection 8, of the Accidents Regulations (Decree No. 745 of 1947) as amended by Decree E-38 of 20 January 1983 is not in conformity with the Convention in so far as it provides only for the possibility for a beneficiary to request the conversion of his employment injury pension into a lump sum if he transfers his residence to abroad before the expiry of a three-year period from the date of the accident. In addition, there does not seem to be any provision in the legislation whereby the payment of employment injury pension abroad is guaranteed to injured persons after the expiry of the above-mentioned three-year period provided for by the Accident Regulations or to the dependants of injured persons where they are resident abroad. In fact, under this provision of the Convention, employment injury pensions must be paid without restrictions where the beneficiary, whether a national of Suriname or of any State that has accepted the obligations of the Convention in respect of this branch, has or transfers his residence outside the territory of Suriname.

In its reply, the Government states that the report on the establishment of the national social security scheme is still under study by the interdepartmental committee. The Ministry is also studying a project to revise the labour legislation with the technical assistance of the ILO. In this context, the Government has asked the ILO for assistance with the social programme of structural adjustment, which will allow it to bring the national legislation into conformity with the ratified Conventions, and an ILO mission in the social security field is expected to take place in the near future.

The Committee notes this information. It cannot but once again express the hope that, in revising the national legislation, with the assistance of the ILO, if necessary, the Government will not fail to take appropriate measures to expressly remove all restrictions on payment abroad of employment injury pensions by repealing section 6, subsection 8, of Decree No. 145 of 1947 and to establish a machinery ensuring in law and in practice the payment of these benefits in the event of residence abroad, both to injured workmen and their dependants in conformity with this Article of the Convention. The Committee asks the Government to indicate any progress made in this respect as well as in connection with the establishment of a national social security scheme.

[The Government is asked to report in detail for the period ending 30 June 1995.]