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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:
Article 1 of the Convention. Legal provisions. The Committee notes sections 117 and 118 of the new Labour Code guaranteeing equal remuneration for work of equal value for men and women. Section 117 provides a broad definition of “salary” containing all elements of remuneration set out in Article 1(a) of the Convention, while section 118 requires employers to ensure equal remuneration for the same work or work of equal value for all workers, irrespective of their nationality, sex, age or status. The elements of remuneration should be established on the basis of the same criteria for men and women, and professional categories and classifications, and criteria for promotion should be common to both sexes. Job evaluation methods should be based on objective considerations based essentially on the nature of the tasks to be performed. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the practical application of sections 117 and 118 of the Labour Code, including information on the number, nature and outcome of any cases concerning unequal remuneration between men and women addressed by the labour inspectorate or the courts.
Article 2. Application of the principle by means of collective agreements. The Committee recalls previous indications by the Government that, after the adoption of the Labour Code 2006, the social partners would renegotiate most existing collective agreements in order to ensure that no gender stereotypes are being used in the evaluation of posts listed in collective agreements. The new Labour Code having been adopted, the Committee asks the Government to provide information on any steps taken to encourage the social partners to avoid the use of gender stereotypes and gender bias in the renegotiation and conclusion of existing and future collective agreements, including the interoccupational collective agreement, so that no differentials occur between men and women as regards remuneration. Please also provide examples of any collective agreements incorporating the principle of equal remuneration of men and women for work of equal value.
Article 4. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s statement with regard to the decisions taken by the National Council for Labour and Social Legislation to apply the Convention. The Government’s report does not, however, contain any specific information on the concrete activities through which the Council is promoting the implementation of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value. It hopes that the Government will provide such information with its next report.
Part V of the report form. Practical application and statistics. The Committee notes from the statistics of 2004 attached to the Government’s report on Convention No. 111 that women make up only 21.4 per cent of the employees in the public service and are concentrated in the health and education ministries and to a lesser extent in the ministries for economy, agriculture and the promotion of women. The statistics further show that women continue to be under-represented in higher job categories and decision-making posts (with women representing only 12 per cent of the employees in level A1 and 12.5 per cent in level A2). The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not include the requested information on the results achieved by the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Social Affairs to address the issue of occupational segregation and to promote women’s access to better paid higher status jobs and managerial positions in the public sector. As such action helps to promote the application of the Convention, the Government is asked to provide such information with its next report. Noting also the Government’s statement that no statistics are available on the earnings of men and women in the public and private sectors, the Committee wishes to point out that such information is needed in order to assess how the principle of equal pay for men and women for work of equal value is applied in practice. It encourages the Government to work towards the compilation of such statistical information and asks the Government to provide whatever information is available on the earning levels of men and women, by branch, economic activity and occupation in both the public and private sectors.
Part III of the report form. Enforcement by the labour inspectorate. With reference to its previous request on the difficulties encountered by the Inspectorate for Labour and Labour Legislation in enforcing the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value, the Committee notes that the Government wishes to undertake a study outlining the difficulties encountered by labour inspectors in enforcing the principle and assessing their training needs. The study would provide the basis for a future training programme in this area. The Committee reminds the Government that it might wish to ask for assistance from the Office in this regard and in the meantime encourages the Government to undertake every action to improve the capacity of the labour inspectorate to ensure the application of the principle of the Convention.
Article 1 of the Convention. Legal provisions. The Committee notes with interest sections 117 and 118 of the new Labour Code guaranteeing equal remuneration for work of equal value for men and women. Section 117 provides a broad definition of “salary” containing all elements of remuneration set out in Article 1(a) of the Convention, while section 118 requires employers to ensure equal remuneration for the same work or work of equal value for all workers, irrespective of their nationality, sex, age or status. The elements of remuneration should be established on the basis of the same criteria for men and women, and professional categories and classifications, and criteria for promotion should be common to both sexes. Job evaluation methods should be based on objective considerations based essentially on the nature of the tasks to be performed. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the practical application of sections 117 and 118 of the Labour Code, including information on the number, nature and outcome of any cases concerning unequal remuneration between men and women addressed by the labour inspectorate or the courts.
The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read, in relevant parts, as follows:
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Parts III and V of the report form. Practical application and statistics. The Committee notes from the statistics of 2004 attached to the Government’s report on Convention No. 111 that women make up only 21.4 per cent of the employees in the public service and are concentrated in the health and education ministries and to a lesser extent in the ministries for economy, agriculture and the promotion of women. The statistics further show that women continue to be under-represented in higher job categories and decision-making posts (with women representing only 12 per cent of the employees in level A1 and 12.5 per cent in level A2). The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not include the requested information on the results achieved by the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Social Affairs to address the issue of occupational segregation and to promote women’s access to better paid higher status jobs and managerial positions in the public sector. As such action helps to promote the application of the Convention, the Government is asked to provide such information with its next report. Noting also the Government’s statement that no statistics are available on the earnings of men and women in the public and private sectors, the Committee wishes to point out that such information is needed in order to assess how the principle of equal pay for men and women for work of equal value is applied in practice. It encourages the Government to work towards the compilation of such statistical information and asks the Government to provide whatever information is available on the earning levels of men and women, by branch, economic activity and occupation in both the public and private sectors.
1. Article 2 of the Convention. Application of the principle by means of collective agreements. With reference to its previous request concerning the use of gender stereotypes in the appraisal of posts listed in collective agreements, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that once the revision of the Labour Code is concluded, in principle by the end of 2004, the social partners will most likely undertake steps to renegotiate the existing collective agreements. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any steps taken to encourage the social partners to avoid the use of gender stereotypes and gender bias in the renegotiation and conclusion of existing and future collective agreements, including the inter-occupational collective agreement, so that no differentials occur between men and women as regards remuneration. It also hopes that the Government will soon be in a position to send a copy of the revised Labour Code as well as copies of any relevant collective agreements.
2. Article 4. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s statement with regard to the decisions taken by the National Council for Labour and Social Legislation to apply the Convention. The Government’s report does not, however, contain any specific information on the concrete activities through which the Council is promoting the implementation of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value. It hopes that the Government will provide such information with its next report.
3. Parts III and V of the report form. Practical application and statistics. The Committee notes from the statistics of 2004 attached to the Government’s report on Convention No. 111 that women make up only 21.4 per cent of the employees in the public service and are concentrated in the health and education ministries and to a lesser extent in the ministries for economy, agriculture and the promotion of women. The statistics further show that women continue to be under-represented in higher job categories and decision-making posts (with women representing only 12 per cent of the employees in level A1 and 12.5 per cent in level A2). The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not include the requested information on the results achieved by the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Social Affairs to address the issue of occupational segregation and to promote women’s access to better paid higher status jobs and managerial positions in the public sector. As such action helps to promote the application of the Convention, the Government is asked to provide such information with its next report. Noting also the Government’s statement that no statistics are available on the earnings of men and women in the public and private sectors, the Committee wishes to point out that such information is needed in order to assess how the principle of equal pay for men and women for work of equal value is applied in practice. It encourages the Government to work towards the compilation of such statistical information and asks the Government to provide whatever information is available on the earning levels of men and women, by branch, economic activity and occupation in both the public and private sectors.
4. Part III of the report form. Enforcement by the labour inspectorate. With reference to its previous request on the difficulties encountered by the Inspectorate for Labour and Labour Legislation in enforcing the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value, the Committee notes that the Government wishes to undertake a study outlining the difficulties encountered by labour inspectors in enforcing the principle and assessing their training needs. The study would provide the basis for a future training programme in this area. The Committee reminds the Government that it might wish to ask for assistance from the Office in this regard and in the meantime encourages the Government to undertake every action to improve the capacity of the labour inspectorate to ensure the application of the principle of the Convention.
The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:
The Committee notes the Government’s report.
1. With reference to its previous direct request, the Committee notes from the Government’s report that a list of the different posts with an indication of the qualifications required is attached to each collective agreement. Noting that no copies of collective agreements have been supplied, the Committee hopes that the Government will include in its next report copies of such agreements, including the annexes, to enable the Committee to determine whether gender stereotypes or any other kind of gender bias have occurred in the appraisal of the posts listed in the annexes to the agreements. It also hopes that the interoccupational collective agreement will be negotiated soon and that there will be no differential between men and women workers in the granting of travel allowance.
2. The Committee hopes that progress will be made soon in the adoption of the final draft of the Labour Code and that it will contain provisions which implement the Convention. Please provide the Office with a copy once it is adopted.
3. The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not contain any information on the results achieved by its efforts to promote the participation of women in the labour market and on the activities of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Social Protection. It hopes that the Government will be in a position to provide such information in its next report, as well as the statistics requested on the average earnings of men and women in public or private enterprises, in accordance with the General Observation of 1998 concerning this Convention.
4. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that it has re-established the National Council for Labour and Social Legislation, which is a body for dialogue and tripartite cooperation through which, henceforth, the collaboration intended by Article 4 of the Convention will operate. It asks the Government to indicate the concrete activities through which the National Council promotes the implementation of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value.
5. The Committee notes that for the seventh consecutive year the Government continues to declare that the Inspectorate for Labour and Labour Legislation has not observed any difficulties in the application of the Convention. It refers the Government once again to paragraph 253 of its General Survey of 1986 on equal remuneration in which it emphasizes that by its nature, by the way in which it develops, and as a result of the equivocal character of discrimination with regard to remuneration, the application of the principle contained in the Convention will necessarily give rise to difficulties. The Committee trusts that the Government will make every effort to provide information, in its next report, on the manner in which the Inspectorate for Labour and Labour Legislation enforces the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. It also hopes that the Government will consider holding courses on international labour standards, particularly on Convention No. 100, for example, in the context of the inspectors’ training programme, and will undertake whatever other measures deemed appropriate to strengthen the capacity of the labour inspectors to detect, investigate and remedy inequalities between men and women with respect to remuneration.
1. The Committee notes that the Government is committed to taking the necessary steps, when the interoccupational collective agreement is next negotiated, to ensure that there is no gender discrimination between workers in the granting of travel allowance. The Committee asks the Government to provide a copy of the interoccupational collective agreement as soon as it has been negotiated. The Committee notes from the information supplied by the Government that wage rates are fixed in collective agreements on the basis of job appraisals, and asks the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure that the negotiation of collective agreements excludes gender stereotypes or any other kind of gender bias in the appraisal of jobs. It also asks the Government to send copies of the collective agreements.
2. The Committee notes that in preparing the new Labour Code the Government received technical assistance from the ILO for the countries of the Council of the Entente. It also notes that the Office’s observations were taken into account in the final draft of the Code, and asks the Government to provide a copy of the latter once it is adopted.
3. The Committee notes that the Government has undertaken to provide information on the results achieved by its efforts to promote the participation of women in the labour market and on the activities of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Social Protection. It hopes that the Government will be in a position to provide such information in its next report. It further notes that the Government intends, as soon as conditions allow, to provide the statistics requested on the average earnings of men and women in public or private enterprises. In this regard, it asks the Government to refer to its general observation of 1998 concerning this Convention.
4. The Committee again notes the Government’s statement that the Inspectorate for Labour and Labour Legislation has had no difficulty in applying the provisions of the Convention. It would again refer the Government to paragraph 253 of its General Survey of 1986 on equal remuneration in which it emphasizes that by its nature, by the way in which it develops, and as a result of the equivocal character of discrimination with regard to remuneration, the application of the principle contained in the Convention will necessarily unearth difficulties. The Committee hopes that the Government will consider holding courses on international labour standards, particularly Convention No. 100, for example, in the context of the inspectors’ training programme.
The Committee notes the Government's indications in its report and the tables indicating the numbers of men and women employed at the different levels of state services.
1. The Committee notes that the Government repeats its previous reply concerning the provision on the transfer allowance contained in the inter-occupational collective agreement and reproduced in all the sectoral collective agreements. However, it hopes that the Government will take the necessary measures, when the inter-occupational collective agreement is next negotiated, to ensure that the terms of this provision clearly provide that no distinction shall be made in the allocation of the allowance on the grounds of the sex of the worker.
2. The Committee notes that a new Labour Code is currently being prepared and that the draft text takes into account its comments concerning the establishment of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value. It requests the Government to keep it informed of the progress made in preparing the draft text and recalls that the Government may, if it so wishes, request the opinions and comments of the ILO on any draft labour legislation.
3. The Committee notes the data concerning the distribution of men and women at the various levels in public employment, which reveal very clear differences in their distribution at almost all levels. The Committee notes that, according to the report on the situation of women in the member States of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), which is appended to the Government's report for Convention No. 111, the Government of Togo, in its awareness of the problems related to the situation of women in the country, has developed action plans to promote the participation of women in the labour market, particularly through measures to encourage the access of girls to education at all levels. The Committee requests the Government to pursue its efforts in this respect and to keep it informed of the results observed in practice. In particular, it requests the Government to provide it with information on the activities of the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Social Protection, and the activities undertaken within the framework of the plan of action for the promotion of women in Togo, which is referred to in the national report of Togo on the situation of women presented to the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, as well as statistical data as provided in the above report.
4. The Committee once again notes the Government's statement that the inspectorate of labour and social legislation has not encountered any difficulties in the application of the Convention. It wishes once again to refer the Government to paragraph 253 of its 1986 General Survey on equal remuneration, in which it emphasizes that by its nature, by the way in which it develops, and as a result of the equivocal character of discrimination with regard to remuneration, the application of the principle contained in the Convention will necessarily unearth difficulties. The Committee therefore needs to be provided with precise and concrete information in order to enable it to assess the effect given to the Convention in practice. While noting that the Government is not in a position to provide it with the requested statistics on the average earnings of men and women in public and private enterprises, the Committee nevertheless requests it to endeavour to compile and transmit such information, in so far as possible. It also requests the Government to refer to its general observation of 1998 concerning this Convention.
The Committee notes that the Government's report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:
The Committee notes that the Government's brief report replies to its previous comments by stating that the situation has not changed since the last report and that the information requested will be transmitted as soon as it is available. The Committee hopes that the next report will include full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:
1. With reference to its previous direct requests concerning certain provisions of collective agreements which appear to discriminate on grounds of sex, particularly the provision granting a transfer allowance to male workers, the Government states that there is nothing to prevent this allowance from being granted to a married woman if she qualifies for it. The Committee asks the Government to keep it informed of developments in the situation, for instance by providing copies of recent collective agreements which will enable it to verify the Government's statement that there is no difficulty in applying the principle of equal remuneration for men and women.
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2. In its previous comments the Committee referred to section 88 of the Labour Code and articles 24 and 25 of the inter-occupational collective agreement of 1 May 1978, which provide that, under equal conditions of work, professional quality and output, wages shall be equal for all workers regardless of their nationality or extraction, sex, age or status, and asked the Government to provide information on the application of the principle of equal remuneration where men and women perform work of a different nature but of equal value. Noting that the report is silent on this matter, the Committee once again asks the Government to state, in its next report, the measures taken or envisaged to amend the above-mentioned provisions of the Labour Code and the inter-occupational collective agreement so that they expressly establish the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value, in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention.
3. The Committee notes the Government's statement that there is no difficulty in applying the principle of equal remuneration for men and women. The Committee must point out that since no precise and specific information has been provided on the practical application of the Convention, it is unable to review the factual basis for this assertion. It asks the Government to refer in this connection to paragraph 253 of the General Survey mentioned above, which states that, by its nature, by the way in which it develops, and as a result of the equivocal character of discrimination with regard to remuneration, the application of the principle will necessarily unearth difficulties. The Committee would therefore be grateful if the Government would provide recent information enabling it to assess how the principle of equal remuneration is applied in practice. It therefore once again asks the Government to provide statistics on the percentage of men and women in the various grades of the public service; the average earnings of men and of women in public and private enterprises employing a large number of women; the percentage of women covered by the collective agreements sent; and the distribution of men and women at various levels.
2. Noting that the report contains no reply to its other comments, the Committee hopes that the Government will provide full information in its next report on the points which it raised in its previous direct request which read as follows:
The Committee notes the Government's brief report.
With reference to its previous direct requests the Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report.
1. The Committee notes the Government's indication that it has taken note of the Committee's wish concerning the transfer allowance for married women. It hopes that the Government will provide information in its next report on the measures taken or envisaged to amend the provisions of collective agreements (article 31 of the commerce collective agreement and article 44 of the industries' collective agreement) under which the grant of a transfer allowance and related entitlements appears to be limited to male workers. Please refer in this connection to the Committee's 1986 General Survey on Equal Remuneration, paragraphs 226 to 238, in which it indicates the authority's role in supervising the lawfulness of the clauses of collective agreements, and the establishment of the principle of equal remuneration in collective agreements.
The Committee notes that the Government's report does not supply full and detailed information on the matters raised in its previous direct request. It hopes that the next report will contain the information requested on the following points.
1. With reference to the Government's previous statement that vocational skills are the proper criterion for evaluating the work or services to be performed, the Committee once again requests the Government to supply information on the methods and criteria used in the job appraisal system to determine the value of the work or services to be performed and to indicate whether this system uses objective criteria that ensure real equality in remuneration when men and women perform work of a different nature but of equal value.
2. The Committee notes the Government's previous statement that, since there is no provision which prohibits the grant of a transfer allowance to women workers when the worker concerned is a married woman, women should be entitled to such allowance. Since collective agreements appear to limit the entitlement to a transfer allowance to male workers, by referring to "his wife", the Committee hopes that the Government will take the appropriate measures to remove any ambiguity regarding this matter. It once again requests the Government to supply information in its next report on the progress achieved in this respect.
3. The Committee notes that, according to the report, the established wage scales applicable in the public service do not take into account the sex of the workers. It requests the Government to provide a copy of these wage scales, which were referred to as being appended to the report, but which have not been received. It would also be grateful to be provided with statistics on the percentage of women in relation to men employed at the various levels in the public service and in public and private enterprises which employ a significant number of women workers.
4. The Committee notes that supervision of the application of the law is carried out by means of inspection visits in enterprises by the labour inspection services. It requests the Government to supply information on the results of these visits (violations reported and penalties imposed) with regard to the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value.
The Committee takes note of the Government's report.
1. The Committee notes the Government's statement that occupational qualification is the proper criterion for evaluating work or services to be performed. The Committee refers to the indications in paragraphs 19 to 23 and 44 to 65 of its General Survey of 1986 on equal remuneration and again asks the Government to provide information on the methods and criteria used in the job appraisal system to determine the value of work or services to be performed and to indicate whether this system uses objective criteria that ensure real equality in remuneration when men and women perform work of a different nature but of equal value.
2. The Committee notes the Government's statement that, since there is no provision which prohibits the grant of a transfer allowance to women workers when the worker concerned is a married woman, women should be entitled to such allowance. In this connection, the Committee refers to paragraphs 226 to 238 of its General Survey of 1986 mentioned above in which it indicates the role of the authorities in supervising the legality of the clauses in collective agreements and the inclusion of the principle of equal remuneration in such agreements. Since the collective agreements appear to limit the entitlement to a transfer allowance to male workers, by referring to "his wife", the Committee hopes that the Government will shortly take appropriate measures so as to remove any ambiguity regarding this matter, and asks it to continue to provide information on any progress made in this respect.
3. The Committee notes Decree No. 69-113 of 28 May 1969 establishing common procedures for the application of the general conditions of employment of the public service. It asks the Government in its next report to provide the wage scales applying in the public service, indicating the distribution of men and women in the various grades.
The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report, in answer to its previous comments.
1. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide particulars of the application of the principle of equal remuneration where men and women, in practice, perform work of a different nature but of equal value. It referred to section 88 of the Labour Code and to sections 24 and 25 of the Togolese Inter-occupational Collective Agreement of 1 May 1978, which provide that, under equal conditions of work, professional quality and output, wages shall be equal for all workers irrespective of their nationality or national extraction, sex, age or status.
The Committee notes with interest the statement that the value of the work is the only criterion used in determining remuneration where men and women perform work of a different nature but of equal value.
The Committee also notes that, in the public and private sectors, there is a system for appraising jobs which is based essentially on the value of the service to be performed and not on sex. It notes in addition that, in section 39 of the Collective Agreement of Togolese Industries, workers are classified in categories and grades and that their classification depends on the job they hold in the enterprise. Furthermore, section 24 of the same Agreement stipulates that the wage of each worker shall be determined according to the job (and hence the classification) assigned to him or her in the enterprise.
The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the methods and criteria used in the job appraisal system mentioned in the report to determine the value of the work or services to be performed. It asks the Government in particular to indicate whether this appraisal system uses objective criteria which ensure real equality of remuneration where men and women perform work of a different nature but of equal value.
2. The Committee notes that section 31 of the Collective Agreement of Togolese Commerce and section 34 of the Collective Agreement of Togolese Industries provide that if a worker is called upon to exercise his occupation in a place other than his usual place of employment but within the geographical limits laid down in his contract, he or she is entitled to a transfer allowance. Furthermore, if the transfer lasts for longer than six months and is outside the prescribed geographical limits, the worker may be joined by his or her family at his or her employer's expense.
The Committee notes, however, that the above Collective Agreements appear to limit the entitlement to transfer allowance to male workers, particularly as they refer to "his wife". It requests the Government to state whether the transfer allowance and other benefits are granted when the worker who is transferred is a married woman accompanied or joined by her husband and dependent children.
3. The Committee notes from the report that, where both spouses are public servants, family allowance is paid to the spouse who declares the children for this purpose.
4. In its previous comments, the Committee asked the Government to supply copies of the decrees issued under sections 2 and 38 of the Ordinance of 4 January 1968 to establish the general table of wage rates, the maximum and minimum rates, etc., and in particular the special conditions of employment of departments employing a high proportion of women. In its reply the Government states that there are no special conditions of employment for departments employing a high proportion of women. The Committee again asks the Government to provide copies of the above-mentioned decrees and to indicate the departments employing a high proportion of women.