CMNT_TITLE

1. The Committee notes the Government's report.

2. The Committee recalls that it has been referring for several years to the proposals made for the amendment of the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act, 1974, and the Employment Equality Act, 1977. It notes that a discussion document was circulated to the interested parties in November 1987, and that the observations received will be taken into consideration when the proposals to amend the legislation are being drafted. The Committee again expresses the hope that the Government will soon be able to provide information on the action taken on these proposals.

3. The Committee notes with interest that the equal pay case to which reference was made in earlier reports, and which was referred to the European Court of Justice in 1986, was decided in 1988. Please indicate how account is taken of this decision.

4. The Committee also reiterates its previous request to the Government to indicate in particular the measures which have been taken or are under consideration regarding the examination of collective agreements with a view to eliminating all discrimination.

5. The Committee recalls that it had also previously noted the adoption of Employment Regulation Orders laying down minimum rates of pay in several sectors, including shirt-making (Statutory Instrument No. 131 of 1983), catering establishments (Statutory Instrument No. 269 of 1983), agriculture (Statutory Instrument No. 336 of 1983), and hotels (Statutory Instrument No. 373 of 1983). The Committee once again requests the Government to furnish a copy of the classification tables established on the basis of an objective appraisal of jobs for all sectors employing a large number of women.

6. The Committee recalls that it had previously asked the Government to forward the latest statistics published of comparative wage and earnings levels for men and women in all sectors of the economy, and in particular for industries where there is a large proportion of women employed. It had previously noted that a significant disparity exists in these wage levels in the manufacturing sector, as is apparent from published statistics. The Committee asks the Government to supply the latest statistics with its next report.

7. The Committee notes with interest the statistics which were communicated with the report, showing the number of disputes referred to equality officers under the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act, 1974, for each period since 1976. It notes that there are significant variations in the number of cases, with a trend toward lower numbers of disputes submitted and resolved in more recent years. It hopes that the Government will continue to provide similar statistics in future reports.