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The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report. It asks the Government to provide further information in its next report on the following points.

1. The Committee noted in the previous comments that a draft Labour Amendment Bill was due to be tabled in Parliament in 2001, which would have included the concept of equal pay for work of equal value. The Committee notes that the Government’s report declares that it was an error to report the intention to include the principle of the Convention in the Amendment Bill, since the Labour Relations Act, Chapter 28:01, covers the issue already and that there are no problems, in practice, with respect to the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. The Committee also notes that the scope of application of the Labour Relations Act is limited to the private sector. Therefore, the Committee asks the Government to supply more detailed information on the measures undertaken to ensure the application of the principle of the Convention.

2. Article 3 of the Convention. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that job evaluations are carried out by professional companies, which analyse the "worthiness of the jobs themselves, not the attributes of those doing the jobs". The Committee asks the Government to supply information on the methodology of these job evaluations, as well as the manner in which gender bias has been reduced in carrying out the evaluations, and on the results achieved in terms of reducing the remuneration gap between men and women in performance of jobs of equal value.

3. The Committee notes with interest the Government’s initiative for affirmative action measures in universities and tertiary colleges in order to encourage women’s enrolment, within the framework of measures taken to increase women’s opportunity to progress to higher level jobs and to combat occupational segregation. The Committee asks the Government to provide data on the percentage of women enrolled in technical and non-traditional programmes, and once available, on women’s participation in the labour market. Please also supply information on any other measures taken or envisaged to combat occupational segregation, and the results these have on increasing remuneration levels of women.

4. Regarding technical assistance in the field of labour statistics requested by the Government of the Office, the Committee notes the project proposal attached to the Government’s report. Noting that the starting date is January 2003, the Committee asks the Government to provide, in its next report, information on the outcomes obtained by the planned activities, and to supply the information requested in previous comments (i.e. percentage of women covered by the collective bargaining agreements; number of women and men employed at different levels; number of complaints of violations concerning the principle of equal remuneration), and, mainly, an adequate evaluation of the nature, extent and causes of the existing pay differences between men and women in all job categories and between the various sectors.

5. The Committee notes the letter from the Office of the Ombudsman which declares that the Office has not dealt with cases concerning the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value. It also notes that this Office will undertake to advertise, in the local newspaper, the possibility of addressing the Office of the Ombudsman in such cases. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information in this regard.