Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

1. Article 1 of the Convention. Scope of application. Referring to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that the categories excluded from the application of the General Labour Act, No. 2/00 (sections 1(3) and 2) are covered by separate laws. Please provide copies of the relevant laws, as well as any information on the manner in which the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value is applied to these categories of workers, and especially civil servants and casual and homeworkers.

2. Article 2. Practical application of the principle of the Convention. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW/C/AGO/1-3, November 2002, page 30), "one of the biggest problems women find in gaining access to decent, well-paying jobs is their low, or non-existent, level of schooling". Noting that equal access to education is an area of concern of the Strategy and Strategic Framework for the Promotion of Gender Equality by the Year 2005, the Committee asks the Government to send information on the measures taken or envisaged to improve access of women and girls to education and training, and their impact on the promotion of equal remuneration for work of equal value between men and women.

3. The Committee regrets to note that the Government’s reports in recent years have not provided sufficient information to enable the Committee to assess the progress made with regard to the practical application of the principle of the Convention. While the Committee acknowledges that some countries may not be in a position to provide full statistical information, it wishes to point out that it is still necessary for the Committee to be provided with all the information that is currently available in order to permit an adequate evaluation of the nature, extent and causes of pay differentials between men and women, and the progress achieved in the implementation of the Convention in both the public and private sectors. It therefore urges the Government to make every effort to collect and communicate, in its next report, whatever information there is available on the following points:

(a)  the most recent wage scales for the public service and similar services, and the distribution of men and women at the various wage levels;

(b)  the most recent statistics on the minimum wage rates and average earnings of men and women, if possible, by occupation, sector of economy (in particular agriculture, fishing, industry and commerce, in which an increase in the participation rate of women has been noted), and with an indication of the corresponding percentage of men and women;

(c)  the text of collective or other agreements fixing wage levels that are higher than the minimum wage established for the various sectors of the economy, and the distribution of men and women at the various wage levels covered by these agreements;

(d)  the measures taken or envisaged to monitor the equality of wages.

4. Article 3. Objective job evaluation. Referring to its previous comments concerning the application of sections 164(2) and 164(3) of the General Labour Act, the Committee must reiterate its request to the Government to provide information regarding the methods of job evaluation used to determine rates of remuneration in the public and private sectors.