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The Committee notes the detailed information provided by the Government in its report as well as the comments concerning pay differentials from the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) and the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals (AKAVA).

1. Article 2 of the Convention. The Committee notes from the information provided that the gap between the average earnings of men and women has widened; whereas women earned 76.8 per cent of men's earnings in 1992, they earned only 74.7 per cent in 1994. The Committee also notes that information on trends and prospects for women's employment in the 1990s in Finland annexed to the report suggests that general economic fluctuations are responsible for fluctuations in the size of the gender wage gap, whereby it appears that women are more vulnerable in times of economic recession because of the sector- and type-specificity of their employment. The Committee would be grateful to receive the Government's comments on this suggestion as well as information on the specific wage differential in female-dominated, male-dominated, low-paid and typically part-time occupations.

2. The Committee notes the 1995 amendments to the Act concerning equality between men and women, which place a duty on employers to promote equality (section 5) and to include measures for equality in their annual staff plans. The Committee asks the Government to supply information on how wage equality, in particular, is promoted in these annual plans and, if possible, to send copies of some of these plans.

3. Noting that in the course of 1993-96, the Equality Ombudsman issued 26 opinions on remuneration and that the number of requests for opinions on wage discrimination continued to increase, the Committee would be grateful if the Government could provide information on the trends in these discrimination allegations, and the measures undertaken to implement the opinions of the Ombudsman. The Committee would also appreciate receiving information on the current number, and the nature, of allegations of wage discrimination received by the Ombudsman.

4. Article 3. The Committee notes with interest the information in the final report of the job evaluation working group set up by the central labour market organizations. Considering that, according to information from the Government, some of the recommendations and suggestions put forward by the working group, such as the setting up of a working group to monitor job evaluation for the purpose of promoting the development and introduction of job evaluation schemes, have been implemented, the Committee would appreciate receiving information on the composition and mandate of this new working group, especially with regard to the extent that this includes the recommendations and suggestions of the earlier working group. The Committee would also be grateful to receive a copy of the manual on the development of evaluation schemes.

5. The Committee notes the information provided regarding the number of collective agreements concluded within the framework of the ongoing re-evaluation of the state pay system which is based on linking wages to job demands and individual work performance and competence, as well as on the jointly achieved overall result of a given work community. Noting that before 1996, these agreements covered only 5 per cent of the employees under the state budget, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the agreements that were expected to be concluded since then, as indicated in the report.