Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Rwanda (Ratification: 1980)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report.

1. It notes that the classification of occupational categories, which dates from 1976, does not reflect the position of all the social partners, and particularly of workers' trade unions, which did not exist at the time. The Committee, however, notes the information that the workers are represented by the Workers' Central Trade Union, which is now in operation, and that the employers' association is being reorganised. The Committee also notes with interest the statement that the Government will henceforth make efforts to evaluate the job and not the worker in order to give effect to the principle of equal remuneration, particularly in the case of persons performing work of a different nature but of equal value. It requests the Government to indicate whether there will be a revision of the classification, even if only partial, after the reorganisation of the employers' association, and to define the future procedures for co-operation between the Government and representative organisations, in accordance with Article 4, in order to give effect to the Convention.

2. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the criteria used for evaluations and to give examples of jobs that have been evaluated in this way, particularly for occupations with a large proportion of women workers. It also requests the Government to provide details of the methods and criteria employed to appraise jobs when the method used is to evaluate work content by simple observation, as stated in the previous report.

3. The Committee notes that the labour administration makes use of section 181 of the Labour Code to penalise employers who contravene the provisions of section 82, which does not set out specific sanctions for its non-observance. The Committee requests the Government to supply a copy of the administrative, judicial or other procedures that have been used or decisions that have been taken under the terms of section 181, as concerns violations of the prohibition of discrimination in employment. It also suggests that on the occasion of the next revision of the labour legislation it would be desirable to amend it so as to incorporate sanctions for the violation of section 82.

4. The Committee notes the Government's statement that the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers, as regards the payment of additional emoluments other than the basic wage, is guaranteed by the fact that employers grant these emoluments according to the occupational category. Nevertheless, the Committee noted in its previous comments that the wage table applicable to the central administration appears to mention only basic wages. The Committee refers once again to Article 1(a) of the Convention and requests the Government to indicate how the principle set forth in the Convention is applied to additional emoluments other than the basic wage.

5. Finally, the Committee notes that no collective agreements have yet been concluded. It requests the Government to inform it of the situation in this respect in its next report.