Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2006, Publicación: 96ª reunión CIT (2007)

1. Article 1 of the Convention. Application of the principle to benefits in kind. The Committee recalls that section 357 of the Labour Code provides that tips and accessory benefits, in cash or in kind, are taken into account for the evaluation of the minimum wage for non-agricultural workers. In its report, the Government refers to a decree fixing payments in kind which are taken into account for the purpose of the minimum wage for restaurant workers. Please supply a copy of this decree, as it was not attached to the report. The Committee also asks the Government to indicate the manner in which benefits in kind are calculated in other sectors.

2. Articles 2 and 4. Collective agreements. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that collective agreements respect the principle of equal remuneration and that provisions favourable to women may be included. The Committee recalls that collective bargaining can make an important contribution to the application of the Convention. Beyond providing for equal wages and benefits for men and women workers, other measures could be provided such as job evaluation free from gender bias or monitoring of wages earned by men and women. The Committee also stresses that provisions of collective agreements that appear to be gender neutral, may result in women receiving lower wages than men for work of equal value. The Committee therefore encourages the Government, in collaboration with social partners, to undertake an evaluation of how collective agreements currently apply the principle of the Convention, and to indicate in its next report any steps taken in this regard.

3. Article 3. Objective job evaluation. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Ministries of Public Services and Administrative Reform have initiated a project concerning objective job evaluation. The Committee stresses that objective job evaluation in the public administration is essential in order to ensure equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, particularly with a view to ensuring that work in areas where there is a concentration of women, such as health, youth or education, is not undervalued. Particular care must be taken to ensure that there is no gender bias in the selection and weighting of criteria used for the evaluation of jobs, as often criteria traditionally associated with “female” jobs are undervalued. The Committee asks the Government to provide further information on the implementation of this project and to indicate the steps taken to ensure that equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value is one of its explicit objectives.

4. Statistical information. The Committee asks the Government to provide full statistical information on the remuneration received by men and women, in the different sectors and branches of economic activity, and as far as possible in accordance with the Committee’s 1998 general observation concerning this Convention.