Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 1998, publiée 87ème session CIT (1999)

The Committee notes the Government's report and attached documentation.

1. The Committee notes the Government's statement that the institutions responsible for ensuring the application of the principle of the Convention are the Labour Inspectorate and the Department of Prevention of the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources. The Government indicates, however, that the Labour Inspectorate has not conducted any inspections to ensure equality of remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the methods currently in operation to promote and ensure the application of the principle of the Convention. The Government is also asked to continue to supply information on any labour inspections which find the existence of gender-based salary differentials.

2. Further to its previous comments regarding salary differentials between men and women workers in Ecuador, the Committee asks the Government to indicate what methods have been or are proposed to be taken in promoting the objective appraisal of jobs on the basis of the work performed. Moreover, in order to permit the Committee to evaluate the application of the principle of the Convention with regard to the public administration, the Government is asked to provide information showing the distribution of men and women workers in the various occupations and at varying levels of that sector.

3. The Committee notes the National Salary Commission resolutions supplied by the Government which fix the minimum monthly salary for workers employed in the manufacture of certain garments and textiles, food products and leather goods. The resolutions fix wages for jobs in the above-referenced sectors without distinguishing between men and women. The Committee nevertheless recalls that discrimination may arise out of the existence of occupational categories and jobs reserved for women and, therefore, the fact that women workers may be more heavily concentrated in certain jobs or sectors of activity must be taken into account to avoid the undervaluation of work regarded as predominately "feminine" (see General Survey on equal remuneration, ILO, 1986, paragraph 22). In this respect, the Committee asks the Government to provide statistical information on the distribution of men and women in the occupations and at the levels set forth in the above-mentioned resolutions.

4. The Ministry of Labour indicates that it will be initiating various programmes in conjunction with the National Women's Commission (CONAMU). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on those joint programmes relevant to the Convention.