Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2017, Publicación: 107ª reunión CIT (2018)

Convenio sobre el trabajo forzoso, 1930 (núm. 29) - Vanuatu (Ratificación : 2006)

The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments initially made in 2014. The Committee also notes that the Government had been requested to provide information to the Committee on the Application of Standards at the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference for failure to supply reports and information on the application of ratified Conventions.

Repetition

Article 2(2)(b) of the Convention. Civic obligations. The Committee previously noted that section 7(2)(b) of the Employment Act (1983) excludes from the definition of forced labour any work or service which forms part of the national civic obligations of citizens. The Committee noted, however, that the Act does not provide further clarification with regard to the kind of work or services which might be exacted as normal civic obligations. In order to ascertain that normal civic obligations do not include work undertaken for public purposes, such as public works of general importance or compulsory national development service, the Committee once again requests the Government to indicate the nature of work or services which constitute normal civic obligations of citizens, providing copies of the relevant legislative texts.

Article 25. Penalties for the exaction of forced or compulsory labour. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the exaction of forced labour is punishable as an offence under the Employment Act (1983). It noted, however, that the 1983 Act should be repealed by the Employment Relations Bill (2006, pending adoption), which does not appear to contain penalties for the imposition of forced labour. In this regard, the Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report on the application of the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105), that the Tripartite Labour Advisory Council is in the process of adopting the Employment Relations Bill (2012), which addresses the Committee’s concerns. According to the Government, section 7 of the Bill prohibits forced labour, which is defined in section 4. Pursuant to section 236 of the Bill, the exaction of forced labour is punishable with a fine, or a sanction of imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both. The Committee therefore encourages the Government to pursue its efforts towards the adoption of the new Employment Relations Bill with a view to ensuring that forced labour is punishable with adequate penal sanctions, in accordance with Article 25 of the Convention. It requests the Government to provide, with its next report, information on the progress made in this regard.