Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1991, published 78th ILC session (1991)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report and the detailed statistical data appended thereto.

1. Noting the indications given in the report as to the standstill (and for many sectors, the widening) in the reduction of the earnings gap between men and women, the Committee requests the Government to continue to supply information on the measures taken to discern the reasons for this situation, and to redress such causes as become apparent that are due to sex discrimination. In this regard, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would give particular consideration to the questions of: (i) the allocation of roughly 90 per cent of market pay supplements to male government employees; and (ii) the decline of women's pay status in relation to men's among those with engineering and science degrees and at the senior executive level.

2. The Committee notes with interest the action being taken pursuant to the Government Bill on Equality to the Mid-nineties (1987/88:105) to bring about an equal distribution of the sexes in occupational groups. It requests the Government to continue providing information on these measures and on the action being taken to realise the goals outlined on page 7 of the Ministry of Labour's Summary of Government Bill 1987/88:105 (viz. the elimination of both sex discrimination in remuneration and the undervaluing of work carried out by women). As concerns job evaluation systems, the Committee requests the Government to indicate whether any positive results have emerged from the distribution to trade union organisations of the study on job evaluation (funded by the Work Environment Fund and the Centre for Working Life) referred to in the Committee's previous comments.