CMNT_TITLE

The Committee notes the information in the Government's report.

1. Concerning its request for information on the activities relevant to the application of the Convention carried out by the National Institute of Labour created in 1993, the Committee notes the Government's statement that the Institute has not yet been asked to carry out any research on equal remuneration. The Committee further notes the Government's statement that there has been no need for the Economic and Social Committee, established in 1994, to give its advice on matters concerning equal remuneration, since remuneration is determined through bilateral collective bargaining under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The Committee understands that the General Secretariat for Equality had begun a study, some years ago, to explore ways of ensuring that equal pay legislation is respected in practice. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the progress and findings of this study. The Committee further requests the Government to keep it informed about any work done by the above-mentioned bodies in relation to the application of the Convention.

2. With regard to the special fund for vocational training and educational programmes and the national vocational guidance centre established under the Act No. 2224 of 1994, the Committee notes the Government's statement that this information is unrelated to Convention No. 100. The Committee, however, points out that pay differentials can often be ascribed to occupational segregation and productivity-related differences in human capital acquired through education and training. In this regard, Paragraph 6(a) of the Equal Remuneration Recommendation No. 90 advocates appropriate action to raise the productive efficiency of women workers by ensuring equal or equivalent facilities to vocational training and guidance. The Committee recalls the Government's statement in its 1992 report that the General Secretariat for Equality organized in 1991 a vocational training programme for women financed by the European Social Fund. The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate the efforts being undertaken or envisaged to ensure that the programmes carried out under the fund, and by the national vocational guidance centre, broaden the job horizons for women by offering, for example, special training courses for women and encouraging them to consider a wider range of training and employment opportunities as well as by taking into account the unique training needs of women who return to paid employment after a break.

3. In reply to the Committee's request for information on the activities of the National Employment Organization relevant to the Convention, the Committee notes the Government's statement that, within the framework of the community initiative "EMPLOYMENT", the programme of subsidies to enterprises to hire unemployed persons and the programme of subsidies to new liberal professionals provide for the same amount of subsidy for men and women. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on initiatives that contribute to the achievement of equal pay between men and women for work of equal value.

4. In the past, the Government had furnished information on complaints submitted to the Labour Inspectorate or the General Secretariat for Equality concerning the principle of equal remuneration incorporated in Act No. 1414 of 1984. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide this information in its future reports. The Committee also draws the attention of the Government to its general observation on this Convention.