Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1996, published 85th ILC session (1997)

The Committee notes the Government's report and the information provided in reply to its previous comments.

1. The Committee notes the information that the draft new Labour Code provides in section 35 for the prohibition of discrimination in respect of wages on the grounds, inter alia, of sex. It also notes that the question of introducing the concept of equal remuneration with reference to the concept of work of equal value has been submitted to the tripartite committee responsible for drawing up the draft Labour Code. The Committee hopes that section 35 will be completed in this sense and that a copy of the Labour Code will be transmitted as soon as it is enacted.

2. The Committee notes the information concerning the progress achieved in the representation of women in government authorities. It notes that three women have been appointed ministers and that a certain number of women occupy high-level positions in the Ministry of Manpower and Migrants, as shown by the table transmitted with the Government's report. The Committee welcomes the figures provided, which show a certain effort by the Government to reduce discrimination on the grounds of sex in employment in high-level positions in the State authorities. It also notes the table on the distribution by sex of workers in the public and cooperative sectors for 1994. This table shows a higher proportion of women in the public administration than in jobs created through public investment. Since it does not have access to figures on this subject for previous years, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply information on this subject in its next report covering a number of years so that it is able to assess developments as regards the implementation and follow-up of the anti-discrimination policy prescribed by the Convention.

3. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government concerning the measures that have been taken, or are envisaged, to facilitate the application of the Convention, particularly through the implementation, in collaboration with representative organizations of employers and workers, of education and information programmes on the current legislation on equal remuneration for men and women workers. It notes, in particular, that the Federation of Egyptian Trade Unions organized a conference on women workers and social challenges, one of the objectives of which was to raise women's awareness of their rights. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide copies with its next report of any documents issued in the context of this conference on the question of equal remuneration for men and women workers. The Committee also notes the information that the Centre for Arab Research and Studies undertook a study on the question of the status of women in the context of the economy and international economic exchanges, followed by many seminars, symposiums and courses. The Committee requests the Government to provide a copy of the above study or extracts from it relating to the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers.

4. The Committee notes the various statistical tables annexed to the Government's report concerning the distribution by sex of workers in the various training activities and sectors. It notes that substantial numbers of women are engaged in traditionally female fields of activity, and particularly in agriculture and sectors where remuneration levels are the lowest, and that there are few women in other sectors. This information is however insufficient to permit an objective evaluation of the development of the situation, since it only covers the situation at a particular moment, without providing comparative information over time. The Committee therefore requests the Government to supply up-to-date statistics in future reports on the distribution by sex and on the remuneration levels of workers in the various sectors of employment, including sectors where the average level of remuneration is high. It also requests the Government to indicate, where appropriate, in accordance with the information requested in the report form under Article 3 of the Convention, the methods that have been adopted to promote an objective appraisal of jobs on the basis of the work to be performed, as well as the progress made in reducing the differential between wage rates for men and women workers, in particular in cases where legally established or recognized bodies are responsible for determining wage rates.