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1. Work of equal value. Minimum wages. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report, the setting up of a minimum wage negotiating committee represents progress made in the fixing of minimum wages. The Committee notes that section 25 of the Minimum Wage Act states that factors taken into account in fixing the types of minimum wage include equal or comparable work or wages established by collective agreements and wages paid for equal or comparable work by employers who voluntarily maintain minimum wage standards in industry. The Committee notes that section 25 also states that no classification will be made on the basis of age or sex. The Committee notes that the factors taken into account for the fixing of minimum wages do not include work of equal value. The Committee considers that the fixing of a minimum wage can help to promote the principle of the Convention. The Committee asks the Government to supply information on the steps taken or planned to apply the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value in the fixing of minimum wages, and on how it ensures that, in jobs predominantly occupied by women, minimum wages are not lower than those fixed for work of equal value performed in jobs where men predominate.

2. Collective agreements. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report, the collective agreement ensures equality by abolishing preferences and discrimination and putting into practice the principle of equal pay for equal work. The Government also indicates that it uses collective bargaining as a mechanism for establishing equality and that tripartite negotiations bear fruit with regard to the concept of equality. The Committee reminds the Government that the principle of equal remuneration for equal work is narrower than the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value enshrined in the Convention. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the steps taken, in collaboration with the social partners, to promote the application through collective agreements of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value.

3. Objective job evaluation. The Committee notes that the Government has not supplied any information on the progress made with regard to objective evaluation of jobs. The Committee recalls that the application of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value requires an objective appraisal of the work concerned to determine whether jobs that involve different work have the same value for remuneration purposes. It also recalls that, owing to the tendency for men and women to do different jobs, it is essential to have a technique for assessing the relative value of jobs which are different in content in order to eliminate gender-based pay discrimination. The Committee reminds the Government once again that it may request technical assistance from the ILO, if it deems it necessary, for examining the various methods of objective job evaluation. The Committee, therefore, hopes that the Government will do its utmost to implement objective job evaluation in the public sector and promote such evaluation in the private sector, and asks the Government to keep it informed in this respect.

4. Practical application. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the National Institute for Women (INAM), the Secretariat of Labour and Social Security and the 2002–07 National Plan for Equal Opportunities contribute, among others, to the elimination of discrimination against women. The Committee notes that, according to the data supplied in the report on the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), women account for only 35.5 per cent of directors, managers and administrators. The Committee, therefore, asks the Government once again to supply information on the measures taken in the context of the abovementioned institutions and the National Plan for Equal Opportunities to promote the access of women to higher level and better paid jobs in the public service and on the impact of these measures.

5. Monitoring of application. The Committee notes that the labour inspectorate conducted surveys in 1,600 enterprises at national level and interviewed 28,427 workers. The Committee also notes that contraventions recorded in 103 enterprises gave rise to an adjustment in the minimum wage of 1,106,895.57 lempiras which benefited 560 workers. Moreover, the Committee notes the Government’s concern at the difficulties encountered in quantifying the activities of the labour inspectorate and its need for a monitoring team to measure the impact of inspection visits. The Committee asks the Government to continue supplying information on the activities of the labour inspectorate. As regards the Government’s concern regarding the collection of information on inspection activities, the Committee reminds the Government that it can request technical assistance from the ILO.

6. Part V of the report form. The Committee notes that the Government has provided the statistical data requested by the Committee. It notes that the average income in 2006 for men was 3,681 lempiras, compared with 3,612 lempiras for women. The Committee also notes, on comparing the statistical information supplied for Conventions Nos 100 and 111, that a substantial gender pay gap exists in sectors where women predominate. The Committee notes, for example, that in manufacturing in 2006, men were paid an average wage of 4,529 lempiras while women received an average of 2,811 lempiras. In the wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, where women also account for a large proportion of the workforce, men received an average wage of 5,019 lempiras while women were paid 3,369 lempiras. In communal, social and personal services – the branch with the greatest concentration of women, according to the Government’s statistics – the average wage was 6,830 lempiras for men and 4,212 lempiras for women. The Committee invites the Government to consider the possibility of investigating the underlying causes of pay differences in the various branches of activity, especially manufacturing, trade, and communal, social and personal services. The Committee asks the Government to continue supplying information on wages in the various sectors of activity, disaggregated by sex. The Committee also requests the Government to supply information on average wages for men and women in the export processing industry (maquiladoras).