VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPE #2259/01 1841203
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031203Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6026
INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4820
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7432
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0508
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 1030
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUL QUITO 1311
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 1358
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS LIMA 002259 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO USDOL FOR DOL/ILAB KENNETH SWINNERTON AND 
DOL/ILAB SUERYUN HAHD; DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/PPC MIKE PUCCETTI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECIN ECON ELAB ETRD EAID PE
SUBJECT: PERU: REQUEST FOR UPDATED INFORMATION FOR DOL PERU 
LABOR RIGHTS REPORT 
 
REF: A. LIMA 1527 
 
     ¶B. SWINNERTON E-MAIL 5/31/2007 
 
¶1.  Per e-mail reference, post has contacted host government 
officials to clarify information previously provided for 
DOL's Peru Labor Rights Report.  In most cases, the Ministry 
of Labor and Employment Promotion (MTPE) was the most 
appropriate source of information, although in some cases the 
data requested was not available.  Responses are keyed to 
reference B cited above. 
 
¶2.  Labor Inspection Data 
 
    ¶A.  Number of Labor Inspectors 
 
    The MOL has confirmed that as of June 1, 2007, there were 
316 labor inspectors working in the Ministry of Labor, 222 in 
Lima and Callao, and 94 in other regions.  The MOL plans to 
hire 250 more inspectors by the end of calendar year 2007. 
 
    The 100 labor inspectors sworn in on March 20, 2007 were 
not included in the figures cited in reftel A, because the 
MOL considers newly-hired employees "auxiliaries," trainees 
who have yet to assume full-time duties.  The latest figure 
does include these new hires. 
 
    ¶B.  Amount of Fines 
 
    The MOL was unable to explain why, according to data 
previously provided, the number and value of fines assessed 
in 2005 and 2006 were roughly equal, even though 
significantly fewer inspections took place in 2006.  MOL 
officials said the system of data collection is reliable and 
suggested the difference may reflect an effort on the part of 
labor inspectors to target the most serious infractions of 
labor law. 
 
¶3.  Number of registered trade unions 
 
    ¶A.  Public sector unions 
 
    According to the MOL, 217 registered unions are in the 
public sector. 
 
    ¶B.  Union membership rate 
 
    In 2006, 8.1 per cent of the formal sector workforce was 
union members. 
 
¶4.  Union Confederations 
 
    According to the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center in Lima, the 
four major labor confederations in Peru are the Peruvian 
Workers Confederation (CTP), with approximately 250,000 
workers; the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers 
(CGTP), with 1.5 million workers; the Unitary Confederation 
of Workers (CUT), with 40,000 workers; and the Autonomous 
Workers Central of Peru (CATP), with 25,000 workers. 
Information previously provided about the ideological and 
political affiliations of the confederations and on the types 
of organizations belonging to each confederation remains 
unchanged. 
 
    The Solidarity Center notes that labor confederations are 
not required by the GOP to document membership claims.  The 
Unitary Trade Union of Education Workers (SUTEP, affiliated 
with the CGTP), for example, claims to represent 350,000 
teachers.  A more likely figure is 80,000 members. 
 
¶5.  Intention to Strike 
 
    A "declared intention to strike," as used by the MOL in 
reftel A is synonymous with an "occurrence" of a strike. 
 
¶6.  Collective Bargaining Agreements 
 
    In 2004, 384 collective bargaining agreements existed, 
covering 105,946 workers; in 2005, 390 agreements covering 
112,760 workers; and in 2006, 453 agreements covering 121,261 
 
workers. 
 
¶7.  Post has obtained the source documents for the 
information provided and will forward them via expedited 
delivery to Kenneth Swinnerton; USDOL; 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW; Room S-5303; Washington, DC 20210. 
STRUBLE