Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1989, published 76th ILC session (1989)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Malawi (Ratification: 1965)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report for the period 1 July 1986 to 30 June 1988.

1. In its 1987 direct request, the Committee noted the institution of a National Committee on Women's Employment, chaired by the Minister of Labour and including representatives of the President's Office, the Ministries of Justice, of Community Services, of Economic Planning and Development, as well as of employers' and workers' organisations and that this committee had undertaken studies on different aspects of women in society, relating to subjects such as women and employment, women and development, women in agriculture, and has undertaken a presentation of forward-looking strategies. The Committee of Experts requested the Government to provide detailed information on the activities of the National Committee on Women's Employment, including particulars on the scope of its activities, its powers, the studies undertaken, and the strategies adopted, in particular in the field of women's employment, as well as on the progress already made.

The Committee notes from the Government's most recent report that there is established within the National Commission for Women, an employment subcommittee whose responsibility is to explore ways and means of creating employment opportunities for women in both the public and private sectors in various occupations and that the committee has so far made a number of recommendations to the Government, such as the extension of paid maternity leave up to 90 days and adoption of certain technologies to be employed by women in food processing.

The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the activities of the National Commission for Women and its employment subcommittee, including particulars on the scope of their activities, their powers, studies undertaken by them and their strategies, in particular in the field of women's employment. The Committee also asks for particulars on progress already made by these committees including, as regards the employment subcommittee, the recommendations made to the Government proposing extension of paid maternity leave up to 90 days and adoption of certain technologies to be employed by women in food processing.

2. The Committee notes that the Government's indication that it operates, through the Ministry of Labour, an apprenticeship scheme where both employers' and workers' organisations are represented and that the Government has established a free placement service and a number of vocational training institutions accessible to any jobseeker or trainee in various occupational levels without any discrimination.

The Committee asks the Government to provide more detailed information on the operations and activities of the apprenticeship scheme, placement service and vocational training institutions, including those economic and geographic sectors served by these services and statistics describing characteristics (sex, race, religion, etc.) of users of the services, and, in particular, what measures have been taken to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, political opinions, national extraction or social origin, among users of these services and what measures have been taken to promote equality of opportunity to users of these services without discrimination on the bases mentioned above.

3. The Committee refers to paragraphs 15 and 240 of its 1988 General Survey on Equality of Opportunity in Employment, where it pointed out the positive and continuous nature of the measures to be taken in pursuance of the national policy under Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention and the need for detailed information on the various aspects of this continuous action. The Committee requests again the Government to supply in its next report information on all steps taken for the effective promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment irrespective of sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin and on the results secured with regard to:

(a)access to vocational training;

(b)access to employment and to particular occupations;

(c)terms and conditions of employment.

In this connection, the Government is more particularly requested to indicate the measures taken to promote equality of opportunity and treatment:

(i)in employment, vocational training and occupational guidance under a national authority;

(ii)through legislation and educational programmes;

(iii)in co-operation with employers' and workers' organisations and other appropriate bodies.