Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 1995, publiée 82ème session CIT (1995)

1. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report.

2. The Committee notes with interest that the Equal Rights Act, 1990 - which makes provision for the enforcement of article 29 of the Constitution - has amended a number of enactments by, inter alia, substituting with gender-neutral language those provisions which formerly gave only men the right to certain allowances, grants and payments. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the date on which the Equal Rights Act entered into force.

3. The Committee notes that section 2(3) of the Equal Rights Act provides for women and men to be paid "equal remuneration for the same work or work of the same nature". As this formulation of the principle of equal remuneration appears to be narrower than that enshrined in the Convention - which calls for equal remuneration for "work of equal value" - the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the way in which the national provision is applied in practice. Noting, in addition, that section 5(2)(a) empowers the Minister to make regulations concerning "the principles for determining whether any work is of the same nature as any other work, or for specifying that any work is of the same nature as any other work", the Committee requests the Government to provide copies of any such regulations enacted. Referring to its previous comments concerning the measures taken to apply the principle of equal remuneration in respect of wages paid above the legal minimum, the Committee also notes with interest that section 2(10) of the Act defines "remuneration" in broad terms, as required by Article 1(a) of the Convention. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply, in its next report, detailed information on all measures taken to promote and enforce those provisions of the Equal Rights Act which relate to the application of the Convention.

4. The Committee notes that the job evaluation exercise being undertaken in the public service is likely to be linked with a public administration programme sponsored by the World Bank. The Committee requests the Government to provide full information on the eventual outcome of this job evaluation indicating, in particular, the criteria used and the classifications and corresponding wage scales determined.

5. The Committee notes that the statistical information requested in paragraph 2 of the 1994 direct request is not at present being compiled. The Committee hopes that the work of the Statistical Bureau will be resumed soon and that the Government will be in a position to provide the data in its future reports.