Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

Weekly Rest (Industry) Convention, 1921 (No. 14) - Rwanda (Ratification: 1962)

The Committee notes the Government’s report and the new Labour Code of 2001.

Article 4 of the Convention. The general weekly rest scheme under section 58 of the Labour Code of 2001 provides for: (a) an obligatory weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours per week; and (b) in principle, a weekly rest day on Sunday. Section 58 of the new Labour Code of 2001 no longer permits the Minister of Labour to authorize exceptions to the ordinary weekly rest scheme, as did section 131, paragraph 2, of the old Labour Code of 1976.

Total or partial exceptions from a regular weekly rest scheme are under certain conditions foreseen under Article 4 of the Convention. They respond to the need to exempt certain types of work or services, to which, because of the nature of the work, the ordinary weekly rest scheme cannot be applied. The Committee wishes to recall that, under that provision of the Convention, exceptions require the authorization of the national authority, special regard being had to all proper humanitarian and economic considerations and after consultation with responsible associations of employers and workers.

The Committee would appreciate it if the Government would provide in its next report detailed information on any cases requiring an exception to the general weekly rest scheme with regard to the weekly rest period of 24 consecutive hours, including the handling of those cases. The Committee is particularly interested in information on the tripartite consultations, which would have taken place.

Part III of the report form. The Committee requests the Government to inform it about the supervision of the application of the Convention, in particular with regard to the organization and working of the labour inspection.

Part V of the report form. The Committee would appreciate receiving with the Government’s next report statistics concerning the number of workers covered by the relevant legislation as well as the number and nature of any contraventions of the Convention reported.