Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2002, published 91st ILC session (2003)

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report, including the statistical data and attached documents.

1. The Committee notes the statistical data indicating, by sector, the average monthly salaries of men and women. At the end of 2001 women’s average salaries were 23 per cent less than men’s, as compared to an overall 20 per cent wage disparity in 1999. The wage gap in the public sector is still wider at 30.3 per cent, roughly the same as it was in 1999. The Committee notes from the report that in some sectors of the public service, such as forestry and wood processing, women average slightly higher salaries than men. However, in some areas of the private sector the wage gap between men and women is significantly greater than the overall disparity, as in the field of financial mediation where women’s average salaries were 67.4 per cent less than men’s. The Committee asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or contemplated to promote equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value in the private sector, particularly in those areas where the wage disparity between men and women is greater than the national average. The Government indicates, as it did in its previous report, that the wage gap in the public sector is largely due to the fact that men occupy higher posts and perform work requiring higher qualifications. The Committee notes, however, that the Government’s report contains no information to its previous request for information on the distribution of men and women in the various sectors and at the different levels of the public service, together with the average monthly earnings in each sector. It therefore repeats its request for the abovementioned data and asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to promote women’s access to higher ranking and better paid positions in the public service.

2. The Committee notes with interest the Government’s project "More Women in Policy" in Lithuania, the objectives of which include boosting the number of women in positions of decision-making authority, increasing the political competence and abilities of new female candidates for public office, and promoting the public perception of gender equality in the field of decision-making. Noting that this project is scheduled to commence in 2002-03, the Committee asks the Government to provide further information on the manner of its implementation, including copies of any publications and educational materials to be produced under its auspices.

3. In April 2002, the Seimas adopted a new version of the Law on Public Service which, like the Law on Civil Service, provides that the remuneration of a civil servant shall consist of a basic salary, bonuses and additional pay. Additionally, two laws implementing the new system of remuneration for public servants were adopted in September 2001: resolution No. 1159 on confirmation of the procedure of allocation of additional pay for public servants and resolution No. 1158 on implementation of the system of remuneration of public servants. The Committee notes the abovementioned legislation and requests the Government to supply copies of the resolutions. Further, the Committee notes that a new Labour Code containing a general definition of remuneration that is to be applied for employees in the private and public sectors is currently in the process of adoption. In this connection, the Committee expresses the hope that the new Labour Code will contain a definition of remuneration as broad as that expressed in Article 1(a) of the Convention to ensure the application of the principle of the Convention to all components of the remuneration received by a worker. It trusts that the Government will supply a copy of the new Labour Code upon its adoption.

4. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that no uniform methodology is applied to the evaluation of jobs, the classification of posts and the determination of wage scales in collective agreements; said activities are conducted through negotiations between the social partners. In this regard, the Committee asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or contemplated to promote the objective appraisal of jobs in the private sector. The Committee additionally notes that the Government’s report contains no reply to its previous request for information on the measures taken to ensure that discriminatory clauses are in fact not included in or are deleted from collective agreements, and requests the Government to include this information in its next report.

5. The Committee notes the attached excerpts from the report of the equal opportunities of men and women controller’s service for the period 2001-02 and the summary of an equal remuneration complaint processed by the controller’s service contained in the Government’s report. It would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide information regarding complaints of pay discrimination filed with the Service of the Controller of Equal Opportunities of Men and Women. The Committee notes that the Labour Inspectorate checked 15,941 companies in 2001, compared with 188 enterprises in 2000. One violation of the requirement of equal remuneration was discovered and duly remedied in 2001. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide statistical data on the activities of the Labour Inspectorate to implement the Convention, including the number of inspections conducted, the number of violations discovered and the actions taken to remedy said violations.

6. The Committee notes that in 2002 a new agreement over tripartite cooperation was signed by the Government, trade unions and employers’ organizations. The agreement provides for the evaluation of the adherence to labour regulations at the Tripartite Council and the submission of proposals to improve the labour laws and their implementation. The Committee requests the Government to supply a copy of the tripartite cooperation agreement and provide information on any collaborative efforts, taken in furtherance of the terms of the agreement or otherwise, to promote the application of the principle of the Convention.