Observation (CEACR) - adoptée 2008, publiée 98ème session CIT (2009)

General measures to address the gender wage gap and differences in remuneration of part-time workers. The Committee notes the communication from the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV), received on 29 August 2008, which was sent to the Government for its comments thereon. In its communication, the FNV, referring to an average wage gap between men and women of 18 per cent, calls upon the Government to formulate concrete and specific objectives, targets and timetables to narrow this gap. According to FNV, such specific targeted action is necessary, given that men are usually working full time whereas many women are working part time (an average of 23 hours per week). Surveys show that women working part time are often not getting the extra earnings and bonuses received by their male counterparts working full time in the same job. Furthermore, most of the jobs in which women are employed are paid less (i.e. governmental departments, non-profit sector and social service sector) than jobs in which men are employed.

The Committee recalls its previous comments in which it noted that in 2005 49.8 per cent of women and 17.4 per cent of men working in the Netherlands were employed half time, and that certain provisions in collective agreements, such as those excluding part-time workers from bonuses relating to overtime, lead to pay inequalities between men and women. The Committee also recalls that research was continuing into distinctions in working hours, and that the study group “Equal Pay Works!” had recommended that equal pay should be addressed in a wider context, by giving additional attention to combining work and family life, greater involvement of employees in more flexible working-time arrangements, and breaking the glass ceiling by encouraging diversity policies in companies and encouraging career ambitions of women. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that a Task Force Part-Time Plus was established in 2008 which has the aim of making it easier for employees to combine work and care duties and to encourage women who wish to work more hours to do so. The increase in labour participation is expected to lead indirectly to narrower differences in remuneration. The Committee further notes that various studies and surveys have been undertaken with a view to determining differences in remuneration and their underlying causes. A report from the CLOSE (Correction of Wage Gap in Sectors) project was presented to Parliament in December 2007 covering research on differences in remuneration in seven sectors (i.e. food and luxury industry, retail industry, financial institutions, cleaning industry, public administration, hospitals and other health care and welfare care) for which the uncorrected difference in remuneration remained relatively high. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is also analysing the extent to which differences in remuneration can be traced back to emancipation, discrimination, sociological or economic factors. The results of the study were to be finalized by October 2008 and were expected to help focus solutions addressing remuneration differences. The Committee further notes that the report of the Labour Inspectorate on differences in remuneration in 2006, which has not yet been finalized, will devote attention to distinctions based on working hours in the various sectors. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the impact of the Task Force Part-Time Plus on reducing differences in remuneration between men and women, including differences relating to part-time work. The Committee also hopes that results of the research undertaken by the CLOSE Project and on the causes of the wage gap will permit the Government to take more targeted action to reduce the wage gap between men and women, taking into account the high number of women engaged in part-time work and their concentration in jobs that are generally lower paid.

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