Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2002, published 91st ILC session (2003)

Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129) - Finland (Ratification: 1974)

The Committee notes the Government’s replies to its previous comments. It notes the point of view of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) concerning the inadequacy of the financial and human resources of the labour inspection services in relation to the needs in the fields of occupational safety and health and the implementation of enterprise-level collective agreements. According to the SAK, the lack of inspectors and inspections already referred to under Convention No. 81 hampers labour inspection in agriculture.

The Government indicates that the situation is reasonably good in view of the fact that less than 3 per cent of the agricultural workforce is in an employment relationship and, over the past few decades, the profitability of agriculture has been poor, with the result that small enterprises have not been able to hire workers and agricultural work has been carried out at the family level. The Committee hopes that, in order to be able to assess the effectiveness of labour inspection in agricultural enterprises, the Government will not fail to ensure that, in accordance with Article 26 of the Convention, an annual report will be communicated on the work of the inspection services in agriculture, containing precise information on the matters set out in points (a) to (g) of Article 27.