Observación (CEACR) - Adopción: 2025, Publicación: 114ª reunión CIT (2026)

Convenio sobre el trabajo portuario, 1973 (núm. 137) - Guyana (Ratificación : 1983)

The Committee notes the Government’s report, which reiterates its commitment to ensuring the effective implementation of the Convention. It also notes that no registration system for occupational categories of dockworkers is currently in place, and that the Ministry of Labour intends to raise this issue with the National Tripartite Committee and consider it in the context of the ongoing labour legislative review process. The Committee once again recalls that, under Article 1(1), the Convention applies to all persons regularly available for work as dockworkers and who depend on dock work for their main annual income, irrespective of their employment status. It further recalls that the Convention requires ratifying States to pursue a national policy aimed at ensuring, as far as practicable, permanent or regular employment and minimum income security for dockworkers (Article 2), to establish and periodically review registers giving registered workers priority of engagement and obligations of availability (Articles 3 and 4(1)), to take measures preventing or minimizing any adverse effects of workforce adjustments (Article 4(2)), to promote cooperation between employers, workers and competent authorities for efficient and equitable port operations (Article 5), and to guarantee adequate provisions for occupational safety, health, welfare and vocational training (Article 6). Consequently, the Committee observes with deep concern that, since 2002, it has repeatedly requested the Government to provide information to enable it to determine the manner in which the Convention is applied in law and in practice, and regrets that such information has still not been supplied. The Committee emphasizes once again the importance of urgently taking concrete measures to implement the Convention. Therefore,the Committee expects the Government to provide, in its next report, detailed information on the manner in which compliance with the provisions of the Convention is ensured; and to communicate any available statistical data on the number of dockworkers in all occupational categories and any variations in their numbers; as well as information on progress achieved through the labour legislative review process or through tripartite consultations with employers’ and workers’ organizations on a registration system for occupational categories of dockworkers.

[ The Government is asked to reply in full to the present comments in 2027. ]