CMNT_TITLE

Repetition

Articles 1 to 3 of the Convention. Application in law and practice. The Committee notes the Government’s statements indicating that it has experienced substantial difficulty applying the Convention due to structural challenges and lack of capacity. The Committee also notes that the Government is seeking ILO technical assistance to review and revise the labour-related legislation. The Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on the progress made with regard to the legislative review, including specific steps taken to give full legislative effect to the principle of the Convention, and any other measures taken or envisaged to promote and ensure equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value.

Statistics. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it is in the process of conducting a labour force survey which will serve as a source of information for its new labour laws. The Committee also notes the statistics provided by the Government in its report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which indicated that of the 15,735 employees in the public service in December 2009, 63 per cent were male and 37 per cent were female. The Committee notes that women were significantly underrepresented among the higher grades of the public service, with the proportion of female public employees decreasing from 39 per cent at the junior level to 22 per cent at the middle level and 13 per cent at the senior level (CEDAW/C/SLE/6, 1 November 2012, table 12, paragraph 148). The Committee also notes the statistics provided on employment patterns of women in the private sector which indicate that women were least represented in the construction (4 per cent), trade (11 per cent) and manufacturing (13 per cent) industries (ibid., table 13). The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the steps taken to assess the current status of the application of the Convention through data collection, studies and surveys, including information on the remuneration levels of men and women in the public and private sectors with a view to evaluating the gender pay gap. Please also provide information on the progress made on the labour force survey currently under way.