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workers are union members, concentrated in individual private or state-owned enterprises. Previously, the Government exerted control over individual unions by making membership mandatory in the state-organized labor confederation, the General Union of Djiboutian Workers (UGTD). Since 1992 unions are free to join or form other confederations. While the UGTD is now nominally independent of the Government, it maintains close ties to the RPP. However, the Democratic Labor Union (UDT) has gained increasing union support despite government harassment. The prescribed legal requirement for initiating a strike calls for the representatives of employees who plan to do so to contact the Interior Ministry 48 hours in advance. All strikes during the year were legal. In January secondary school teachers struck unsuccessfully over nonpayment of salaries and for better benefits. School teachers also struck unsuccessfully in April, May, June, and September over nonpayment of salaries and working conditions. Although the Labor Law prohibits employer retribution against strikers, the Government on one occasion arbitrarily arrested several hundred striking workers, including labor leaders. The Government also suspended, fired, or transferred scores of teachers active in the union to less desirable assignments in rural areas. The Government replied to the International Labor Organization (ILO) concerning a complaint lodged by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) both in 1995 and in 1996. The Government stated that the unions were unwilling to negotiate and requested that the ILO furnish a consultant who could train trade unionists, draft a labor code, and review social legislation. The Government did not respond to the ICFTU’s specific allegations. The ICFTU alleges that members of the Inter-Trade Union Association of Labor/General Union of Djibouti workers (UDT/UGTD) who struck on September 6, 1995, faced arbitrary arrest, threats, dismissals, or suspensions by the Government. Union headquarters were closed and sealed at that time. The workers were protesting the Government’s refusal to enter into a dialogue with the trade unions over proposed legislation that would have had an adverse impact on their living standards. The ICFTU also lodged a complaint regarding the arrests of school teachers who struck in January. The Government said that it supports trade unions but added that police intervention was necessary to prevent social upheaval. In May security forces again seized the UGTD/UDT headquarters and froze their bank accounts. Unions are free to maintain relations and exchanges with labor organizations abroad. The UDT has been a member of the ICFTU since 1994. b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively Although labor has the legal right to organize and bargain collectively, collective bargaining rarely occurs. Relations between employers and workers are informal and paternalistic. Wages are generally established unilaterally by employers on the basis of Ministry of Labor guidelines. When disputes about wages or health and safety issues arise, the Ministry of Labor encourages direct resolution by labor representatives and employers. Workers or employers may request formal administrative hearings before the Ministry of Labor’s Inspection Service. The Service has been charged by critics with poor enforcement, due to its low priority and inadequate funding. The newly appointed Chief Labor Inspector promised in September to address these problems. The law prohibits antiunion discrimination, and employers guilty of such discrimination are legally required to reinstate workers fired for union activities. The Ministry generally enforces the law. In February the directors of the government-owned electric utility and telephone companies prohibited employees from attending a seminar on the role of unions in economic development sponsored by the UGTD, UDT, and the Conference Arabe pour les Accidents du Travail. An export processing zone (EPZ) was established in December 1994. Firms in the EPZ are exempt from the Government’s social security and medical insurance programs. Instead, they must provide either government or private accident insurance. The minimum wage in the EPZ is approximately $1 per hour. The regular workweek is 40 hours, while in the EPZ it is 45 hours. An employee having worked for the same firm in the EPZ for at least 1 year has the right to 15 days of annual leave compared to 30 days in the rest of the country (see also Section 6.e.). c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor, and while this is generally observed, security forces reportedly sometimes compel illegal immigrants to work for them to avoid deportation. d. Minimum Age for Employment of Children The minimum age for the employment of children is 14 years, and the law is generally respected. However, the shortage of labor inspectors reduces the likelihood of investigations being carried out, according to union sources. Children are generally not employed under hazardous conditions. Children may and do work in family-owned businesses, such as restaurants and small shops, at all hours. Many street beggars are young children whose parents have forced them to beg to help support the family. e. Acceptable Conditions of Work Only a small minority of the population is engaged in wage employment. The Government administratively sets minimum wage rates according to occupational categories, and the Ministry of Labor is charged with enforcement. The monthly wage rate for unskilled labor, set in 1976, is approximately $90 (15,000 Djiboutian francs). However, some employers ask their employees to work up to 12 hours per day and pay them an additional wage. Some workers also receive housing and transportation allowances. Most employers pay more than the minimum wage, recognizing that it does not provide adequate compensation for a worker and family to maintain a