Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

1. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes from the Government's report that the statistical data requested is not available, but that it will be supplied promptly once it has been collected. The Committee stresses the importance of providing information of this kind to enable an assessment of the extent of compliance with the Convention and looks forward to receiving the relevant material. In the meantime, please supply any publications, studies or other documents concerning the status of women in the country, which might contain information concerning the wage gap between men and women or be relevant in any way to the application of the Convention.

2. In its previous comments, the Committee drew attention to the fact that certain elements of remuneration ("weekly ration scales" in a collective agreement for the manufacturing and refining industry, and the "allocation of government quarters" in the public sector General Orders) could be seen to be payable only to male employees, workers or public servants, as the relevant provisions were not phased in gender-neutral language. Having noted the Government's assurances on this matter, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would furnish with its next report, copies of current collective agreements covering a number of different industries, including more particularly, those in which a large number of women work.

3. The Committee has noted that paragraph 10 of the Code of Practice set out in the Schedule to the Industrial Relations Act, 1996 states that: "Employment policies should have regard to the legislative requirements relating to non-discrimination in employment". Please indicate whether any measures have been taken, within the context of the application of the Act and its Code of Practice, to further the application of the equal pay provisions of the Employment Act, 1980 (sections 95 and 96).