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The Committee notes the information in the Government's report and the statistical tables attached.

1. The Committee notes that the draft Labour Code has not yet been adopted. It further notes the Government's statement that the principle of the Convention is covered in the draft text of section 35, even though that section currently refers to the "same work". From this statement, it would appear that a new version of section 35 has been prepared for inclusion in the draft Code. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide a copy of the most recent version of the draft Code. It must also reiterate its hope that the draft text adopted will clearly set out the entitlement of men and women to receive equal remuneration for work of equal value. It also hopes that the Code will allow for comparison of pay on as wide a basis as possible to avoid the undervaluation of pay levels in female-dominated industries where remuneration levels tend to be low.

2. In reply to the Committee's previous request concerning the methods adopted to promote an objective appraisal of jobs, the Government refers to section 34 of the new draft Labour Code. According to the Government, section 34 provides for the establishment, by Ministerial Order, of a National Council of Wages to be presided over by the Minister of Planning and composed of, among others, representatives of employers and workers, which would set a minimum wage at the national level. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply a copy of the Ministerial Order establishing the National Council of Wages once it is promulgated, and requests the Government to provide information on how the principle of equal remuneration is applied to wages of men and women in excess of the minimum wage, including the criteria and methodology used in the appraisal of jobs.

3. The statistical data concerning the average weekly wage of men and women in financial institutions in the public and private sectors for the period of 1989 to 1994 show the progress made over the past five years and indicate that women's average weekly wage is slightly higher than men's in this sector. The Committee notes from the statistics provided by the Government (1991-95) and 1995 data in the 1998 ILO Year Book of Labour Statistics that the few women who are working in male-dominated sectors, such as mining, construction and transport, receive significantly higher wages than men, which suggest that women are generally occupying higher positions in these sectors. In contrast, the Committee notes that the majority of women are concentrated in agriculture, manufacturing, wholesale and retail and services where levels of remuneration are quite low. The Committee further notes that the Government's report does not include additional information with regard to the wage levels and distribution of women in public administration posts. The Committee refers to its general observation under this Convention and requests the Government to include, in its next report, the necessary up-to-date information for both the private and public sectors to enable it to assess the application in practice of the Convention.

4. The Committee hopes that the Government will be in a position to supply, in its next report, copies of any documents issued in the context of the Conference on Women Workers and Social Challenges, organized by the Federation of Egyptian Trade Unions, and copies of the study conducted by the Centre for Arab Research and Studies concerning the status of women in the economy.