Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Morocco (Ratification: 1963)

Other comments on C111

Observation

Direct Request

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Equality of opportunity and treatment between men and women in employment. The Committee notes with interest the adoption of the Government Plan for Gender Equality “Ikram” (2012–16), accompanied by a significant budget, which provides for 143 measures and sets 24 goals in eight areas. These include: gender mainstreaming and the dissemination of gender equity and equality principles; measures to combat all forms of discrimination against women; women’s social and economic empowerment; and the achievement of equality of opportunity between sexes on the labour market. The Committee welcomes the establishment of the Ministerial Equality Commission, in September 2013, which is entrusted with monitoring the implementation of the government plan and assessing its outcomes. The Committee notes that the gender component has been incorporated into the state budget since 2005 to take account of the differentiated concerns of women, men, girls and boys, and that a report on the gender budget, which now covers 27 ministerial departments, is drafted and submitted to Parliament each year. The Committee notes that, according to the Government, the National Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (ANPME) has implemented a number of programmes to promote women’s access to entrepreneurship (only 10 per cent of enterprises are owned or run by a woman) and to address the various difficulties with which women are confronted when setting up their enterprise (limited access to credit, training and information). The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the activity rate of women was only 24.7 per cent in 2012 (17.3 per cent for women aged between 15 and 24 years) and that, taking all sectors into consideration, girls accounted for only 39 per cent of overall trainees in the vocational training system. Stressing the Government’s continuous efforts to make equality between men and women a central component of its policy and the progress achieved in this area, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the specific measures taken, in the context of the government plan “Ikram”, to combat effectively discrimination against women and to promote equality between men and women in employment and occupation, as well as on the outcomes achieved in terms of women’s access to employment in the private and public sectors, the diversification of employment opportunities and training, and the improvement of working conditions. Furthermore, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the employment component of the National Emergency Plan on Vocational Training and the Strategic Medium-Term Programme for the Mainstreaming of Equality and Gender Equity (2011–15).

Specialized body responsible for promoting equality and combating discrimination. The Committee welcomes the fact that article 19 of the Constitution of 1 July 2011 provides for the establishment of the Authority for Parity and the Fight against All Forms of Discrimination (APALD). The Committee understands that the Bill establishing APALD will soon be submitted to Parliament for adoption. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the status of the adoption of the Bill establishing APALD and the contents of the Bill and hopes that it will soon be adopted.

Labour inspection. The Committee notes with interest that training sessions for labour inspectors on fundamental rights, including equality and non-discrimination, were organized in various municipalities in 2013, in collaboration with the ILO, and that the Minister of Employment and Vocational Training adopted a circular on the implementation of legal provisions on women at work on 13 February 2013 (Circular No. 16/13); this circular requests labour inspectors and the Ministry’s regional delegates to focus on respect for provisions concerning women’s rights and measures to combat discrimination at work. The circular also stipulates that they must submit data on “labour indicators on women wage earners” to the central administration, which specify: the number of establishments visited; the total number of wage earners; the number of women employed (positions of responsibility and others) and their age; the number of female staff representatives; the number of observations made concerning discrimination (wages, employment, promotion and others); and the number of infringements noted (maternity, night work and others). The Committee requests the Government to provide specific information on the activities of the labour inspectorate concerning equality and non-discrimination, including extracts from relevant inspection reports, as well as statistical data established on the basis of the tables of “labour indicators on women wage earners”.

The Committee is raising other points in a request addressed directly to the Government.