Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Italy (Ratification: 1981)

The Committee notes the Government's report, as well as the attached comments of the Trade Unions' Association of Credit Establishments (ASSICREDITO) and the Italian Confederation of Trade Unions (CISL). The Committee requests the Government to submit information on the following points.

Article 2, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, of the Convention. The Committee notes the information concerning Bill No. 1093/S respecting school reform, which will raise the compulsory schooling up to the age of 16 years. It recalls that since the minimum age specified under Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention should not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling (paragraph 3), once the compulsory schooling is extended to the age of 16, the minimum age for employment or work should also be raised to the same level. Therefore, the Committee hopes that once the Bill has been adopted, the Government will take necessary measures to raise the minimum age for work to the age of 16 years in due course, as indicated in the Government's report. It also suggests the Government to consider the possibility of declaring higher minimum age (in this case, 16 years of age) in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 2.

Article 7. The Government states in the report that, according to the results of the surveys carried out on the quality of work performed by young persons who also attend school, no particular forms of psycho-physical or economic exploitation were revealed and cases of young persons working when they should attend school were rare. The Committee notes this information. It asks the Government to include in its future reports extract of reports on such surveys and to provide more concrete information on the sectors and the age group of young persons covered. Further to its previous comments, the Committee again hopes that the Government will take the necessary measures to ensure that in agriculture the employment or work of children below the minimum age is permitted only for light work, in conformity with Article 7 of the Convention, on the occasion of amending Act No. 977.

Point V of the report form. The Committee notes the Government's indication that labour inspection is carried out to monitor the work performed by children, in particular, so as to abolish the clandestine work by children and the exploitation of children. It also notes that in 1992, violations of the provisions of Act No. 977 by 4,417 enterprises were detected. The Committee further notes the CISL's comments on the importance of social policy measures, especially for families, in the abolition of child labour. The Committee requests the Government to continue its efforts to abolish child labour and to supply information on the application in practice of the Convention, with particular reference to regions with difficulty (particularly in the South) mentioned by CISL, including, for instance, statistical data, extracts from official reports and information on the number and nature of contraventions reported.