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The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report, as well as the comments on the application of the Convention submitted by the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TISK) and the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-IS) confirming the application of the Convention by constitutional and legislative provisions.

1. The Committee notes the comments made by TISK that the collective agreements which it concludes provide that men and women workers shall obtain equal remuneration for work of equal value as regards both wages and social benefits. It further notes TISK’s comments that the legislation should be amended to establish the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and that the Government should also provide copies of the statistical information compiled by the State Statistical Institute and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on men and women workers, disaggregated according to branch of activity, level of training, occupational category, seniority, age group and actual hours worked. Recalling its previous requests for information, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide the available statistical information with its next report in order to enable it to assess the application in practice of the principle set out in the Convention.

2. The Committee recalls its previous requests for information on the measures taken, within the context of the various five-year development plans, to reduce wage inequalities between men and women workers, as well as its suggestion that the Government should take the opportunity to ensure the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women in the implementation of the recommendations in the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan to reduce wage inequalities. In this respect, and further to its previous comments on the application of the Convention to self-employed workers, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that the Eighth Five-Year Development Plan (published on 5 July 2000 in the Official Journal) includes the amendment of the legislation respecting atypical work, such as home work. Recalling that the provisions of Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention provide for the application to all workers of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value, the Committee asks the Government to provide copies of the amended legislation in its next report.

3. Recalling its previous comments on discrimination in the payment of certain benefits to public servants for reasons which are linked to their gender, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that these inequalities are based on regulations in civil law, that the preparatory work to amend this legislation has been completed and that a bill was presented by the Government to Parliament in December 1999, which will nullify the discriminatory provisions to which the Committee has made reference. The Committee hopes that this bill will be adopted soon and that a copy will be provided with the next report.