Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Ratification: 2001)

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 comments.

Repetition

Work of equal value. The Committee notes the Government’s acknowledgement that the Equal Pay Act, 1994, is not in conformity with the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, and that it is important to amend the legislation to include such a provision. The Committee strongly urges the Government to take steps to amend section 3(1) of the Equal Pay Act without further delay in order to ensure that the legislation provides for equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value; and to keep the Committee informed of any progress achieved in this regard.

Fixing of wages. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that wages councils, in determining wages, might not have had a full grasp of the principle of “equal pay for work of equal value”, and may have been guided by the fact that some occupations are more physically demanding than others. In this connection, the Committee draws the Government’s attention to the need to ensure that criteria for the appraisal of work do not undervalue the skills, and the difficulty of working conditions in jobs performed by women (see 1986 General Survey on equal remuneration, paragraphs 150 to 152). While noting the Government’s indication that the issue will be brought to the attention of the wages councils, the Committee asks the Government to take proactive measures to ensure that the wages councils fix wages in a manner that promotes the principle of the Convention, and that wages for jobs predominantly occupied by women are not fixed at a rate lower than those predominantly occupied by men when both sets of jobs are of equal value. Please also supply information on the measures taken to enforce minimum wages effectively, as well as information on any complaints received on minimum wages violations, the sanctions imposed and the remedies provided.

Objective job evaluation. The Committee notes that in response to its previous comments concerning objective job evaluation, the Government indicates that measures have been taken by the National Labour Congress and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Employers Federation to sensitize their constituents on the necessity to link pay increases to a performance salary scale within any collective agreements. The Committee hopes that the Government will adopt measures to ensure objective job evaluation in the public sector and promote it in the private sector, and asks it to provide information on progress achieved in this regard. The Committee also asks the Government, as previously requested, to provide further information on the contents of the recommendations made in the context of the public sector job classification, as well as on the impact they have had in ensuring the application of the principle of the Convention.

Promotional measures. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that serious consideration has been given to training and awareness-raising activities on the Convention’s principles among public officials, workers and employers. It also notes that a series of activities has been planned through the Gender Affairs Division and the National Council of Women. The Committee recalls the importance of training public officials, workers, employers and their organizations on the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value in the public and the private sectors. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on training and awareness-raising activities taken or envisaged to promote the principle of the Convention among public officials, workers, employers and their organizations, and other relevant target groups, and to report on the progress made. The Committee also asks the Government to provide detailed information on the activities taken or envisaged to promote the principle of the Convention through the Gender Affairs Division and the National Council of Women.

Enforcement. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the labour inspection services have not found any cases of non-compliance with the principle of equal remuneration between men and women for work of equal value; and that no workers have raised complaints in this respect. The Committee recalls that the absence of complaints on pay inequalities may result from the lack of knowledge of the rights derived from the Convention among workers as well as law enforcers, or difficulties in accessing complaints and dispute resolution mechanisms. The Committee asks the Government to indicate whether any measures have been taken or envisaged to increase workers’ awareness of the principle of the Convention and dispute resolution machinery, and to improve the capacity of labour inspectors to promote and enforce the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. Please also continue to supply information on any violations detected by or brought to the attention of the labour inspection services, the sanctions imposed and the remedies provided; as well as information on any judicial decisions relating to the application of the Convention.

Statistics. Noting that no information has been provided with respect to its previous request, the Committee once again asks the Government to provide statistical data on salary levels and occupations, disaggregated by sex, in the public and the private sectors.