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1. Equality between men and women in respect of employment. With reference to its previous comments concerning the establishment and evaluation of programmes to implement the instructions of the Federal Council of 18 December 1991 concerning the improvement in the representation and occupational situation of female staff in the general administration of the Confederation, the Committee notes the report for the first period of promoting the situation of women in the general administration of the Confederation, 1992-95. According to this report, there has been a slight increase in the proportion of women among federal staff (1991: 17.4 per cent; 1996: 19.8 per cent, with the following trends for recently employed female staff, 1993: 27.9 per cent; 1994: 30.3 per cent; 1995: 30.5 per cent); but women still account for a very modest share of senior posts (1991: 4.4 per cent of all senior posts; 1994: 6.2 per cent; 1996: 7.9 per cent), even though the number of women promoted has increased appreciably over the past three years. Furthermore, most of the federal offices implemented a programme for the promotion of women during the period 1992-95, highlighting the classical areas of staff promotion such as special competitions to fill vacant posts, training, part-time work, career planning interviews and non-sexist formulation. The chief objectives of the offices for the forthcoming 1996-99 period will include an increase in numbers of women promoted to senior positions, the extension of part-time work, training of secretariat staff, and a more professional formulation of programmes for promoting women.

2. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to keep it informed in future reports of the measures adopted in the context of these programmes to further equality of opportunity and treatment in the federal public service and on the provisions taken or contemplated at cantonal level to strengthen their equality offices (in 1995 and 1996, respectively, the Cantons of Argau and Grisons set up specialized services and bureaux for equality between men and women, but the Canton of Zug closed its office). The Committee would also like to receive information on the activities of the special commission set up by the law on equality which is now competent to issue an opinion on appeals, particularly on measures against sexual harassment at work.

3. The Committee also notes the entry into force of the Ordinances of 22 May and 9 December 1996 concerning, respectively, the financial assistance provided by the Federal Act respecting equality between men and women and the special commission mentioned above. It also notes the publication of the brochure "Equality in professional life" which explains the essential points of the Act respecting equality: the organizations having the right to appeal and to bring a case before the courts, protection against dismissal, conciliation procedure, employers' responsibility regarding protection against sexual harassment. The Committee notes, moreover, the awareness and information seminars on the Act respecting equality organized by the Federal Equality Office in January 1996 for magistrates, and in September and December 1996 for personnel officers in enterprises and administrations, employers' and trade union organizations and for wages experts.

4. The Committee notes that, in reply to its previous direct requests concerning alignment of the retirement age for men and women, the Government announces that an initiative has been submitted with the aim of repealing only the provisions in the tenth revision of the Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance Scheme (AVS) which relate to the raising of the retirement age of women in stages. The Government adds that in the communication it adopted for transmission to Parliament it proposes to submit this popular initiative to a vote, accompanied by a proposal of rejection, but it is not possible to propose a specific date for entry into force of the 11th revision of the AVS on which work has already begun. The Committee requests the Government to continue to keep it informed of the development of the situation. With regard to the draft revision of the Labour Act and the objective of this revision in regard to equality between men and women, the Committee notes that, according to the Government's report, the draft was rejected by popular vote on 1 December 1996 (the reason for the vote being called was the removal during parliamentary debate of the provisions on payment for Sunday and night work). Following this rejection, a committee of experts was set up in early 1997 to prepare a new revised draft. The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed on the progress of this revision and to provide it with a copy of the revised law when it is adopted.