OMAN RATIFIES ILO FORCED LABOR AND MINIMUM AGE

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001045

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI (TROBERTS),DRL (JDEMARIA),G/TIP
US MISSION GENEVA FOR JCHAMBERLIN
DEPT PASS USTR FOR J. BUNTIN AND A. ROSENBERG
USDOL FOR J. SHEA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB ETRD PREL SOCI MU
SUBJECT: OMAN RATIFIES ILO FORCED LABOR AND MINIMUM AGE
CONVENTIONS



1. (U) A royal decree of July 3 ratified International Labor
Organization (ILO) Conventions 105 and 138, Abolition of
Forced Labor and Minimum Age of Employment. The new decree
followed the recent return of Oman's National Committee
representatives from the ILO General Conference in Geneva.
In light of Oman's previous ratification of Convention 182 on
the Worst Forms of Child Labor and Convention 29 on Forced
Labor, Muscat has now ratified four of the eight fundamental
ILO conventions. International agreements ratified by royal
decree carry the immediate force of law.


2. (SBU) According to returning National Committee members,
the General Conference in Geneva, while an overall success,
reminded them of the gaps that remain between Oman's
progressively evolving labor law and the international
standards to which it aspires. They believe that the signing
of the two additional conventions symbolizes Oman's
commitment to bridge those gaps and establish internationally
recognized labor regulations for its workforce.
BALTIMORE