Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report and the attached information, including statistics.

1. The Committee notes the Decree by Law No. 1-75-211 of 30 August 1975 amending the Decree of 18 June 1936 on the minimum wage of employees and workers, which eliminates the reference to the sex of the workers.

2. The Committee notes that the new Labour Code has been adopted and will enter into force in May 2004. Hoping that the new Code prohibits wage discrimination between men and women for work of equal value, the Committee would be grateful if the Government could supply a copy of the new Code as soon as possible.

3. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Committee’s comments on the methods for calculating and determining benefits in kind payable to workers in agricultural and non-agricultural activities will be taken into consideration when preparing the regulatory texts of the new Labour Code, which will enter into force in May 2004.

4. Further to its observation, the Committee notes that the statistics on the numbers of men and women employed in the various economic activities and sectors of employment, indicate that women are mainly concentrated in the agricultural, forest and fishing activities, the manufacturing industry, domestic and personnel services, and community services. At the same time, women are highly under-represented in activities such as the interactive industry (2 per cent), repair (0.1 per cent), wholesale and retail (7.5 per cent), transport and communications (4.3 per cent) and construction and public works (0.6 per cent). Having previously noted that salary discrimination may exist between occupational categories or jobs reserved for women and that inequalities in labour due to the low status of women are one of the root causes for wage inequalities between men and women, the Committee asks the Government to provide full information on the action taken or contemplated to improve access of women to a wider range of job opportunities at all levels, including in sectors in which they are under-represented, with a view to reducing further any inequalities in remuneration that exist between men and women in the labour market. Please continue to provide statistics on the number of men and women in the various economic activities and sectors of employment, as well as their corresponding wages, so as to enable the Committee to assess fully the progress made in this regard.

5. Further to the above, the Committee is bound to reiterate once again its previous request to the Government to supply with its next report copies of a few collective agreements setting wages for various enterprises or agricultural and non-agricultural activities (particularly in sectors employing a large number of women), indicating the number of women covered by such agreements and the percentages of men and women at the various levels. Please also indicate the manner in which the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is applied in these enterprises to wages above the statutory minimum wage.

6. With respect to the comments made in its previous observation on the measures relating to the use of job evaluation methodologies, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that a reply on this matter will be communicated to the Office as soon as it has received the information from the Ministries of Public Services and Administrative Reform. The Committee trusts that this information will be included in the Government’s next report.