Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1999, published 88th ILC session (2000)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Cyprus (Ratification: 1968)

1. The Committee notes the information contained in the Government's report. It also notes the comments of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in a letter dated 15 July 1999, alleging that a named individual had been subjected to discrimination on the basis of political opinion over a number of years, in violation of the Convention. In its previous observation, which addressed these allegations, the Committee noted that, as it had not been presented with information specifying the manner in which political opinion may have affected the named individual's employment, it was not in a position to determine whether the Convention had been violated in that particular case. As the TUC's recent communication does not provide any additional details in this regard, the Committee remains unable to make any determination with regard to the alleged non-observance of the Convention.

2. The Committee notes with interest the measures taken by the Government, in accordance with its non-discrimination and equal employment opportunity policies, to assist workers in harmonizing their work and family responsibilities, including the provision of funding for an increased number of childcare programmes and facilities, the promotion of measures for more effective implementation of the national equal pay legislation and the promulgation of Act No. 100(I) of 1997, which extends the period of maternity leave from 14 to 16 weeks and extends maternity protections to adoptive mothers. The Committee further notes with interest that a tripartite committee of the Labour Advisory Board is examining the possibility of providing for parental leave. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide information on the abovementioned measures and their impact on women's and men's access to the domestic labour market.

3. The information supplied by the Government indicates that women's participation in the total labour force in Cyprus has remained relatively stable from 1992 to 1996, remaining at just over 39 per cent. The Committee notes with interest that the proportion of women employed in upper-level positions in the Cypriot labour market, such as legislators, senior officials, managers and professionals, increased from 33.2 per cent in 1989 to 39.8 per cent in 1995. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to supply information on progress made with regard to women's relative position in the labour market in both the private and public sectors.

4. The Committee notes the Government's statement that, while Cyprus has a low overall unemployment rate in general, the unemployment rate for women is higher than the corresponding rate for men. In 1996, the unemployment rate for females (4.3 per cent) was almost double that of men (2.3 per cent) (HRI/CORE/1/Add.28/Rev.1). In its report, the Government states that this situation is due to low growth rates in certain labour-intensive manufacturing sectors that are primarily occupied by women, such as textiles, apparel, footwear and leather goods. In this regard, the Committee asks the Government to indicate whether it has taken or contemplates taking any measures to promote the employment of women in sectors where they are under-represented and, if so, to provide information on any such measures. Additionally, the Committee requests the Government to continue to supply information on the training courses provided by the Industrial Training Authority, including the distribution of men and women in those courses and any measures taken to promote women's participation.

5. The Committee notes with interest that the proportion of women college and university graduates that obtain employment increased from 41.2 per cent in 1992 to 44.5 per cent in 1996. With regard to basic education, however, the information supplied by the Government indicates that, in 1996, women were twice as likely as men to have received no schooling. Of those receiving primary and secondary education in 1996, one-third were women. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide statistical information on the distribution of men and women at different educational levels in its next report and to indicate what steps it has taken or envisages taking to facilitate greater access to primary and secondary education for girls and women.

6. The Committee draws the attention of the Government to the existence of grounds, in addition to sex, upon which equality is to be promoted under the Convention. In this respect, it notes information submitted to the United Nations on efforts undertaken to promote the participation of ethnic minorities in education in Cyprus. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken to promote equal access to employment of ethnic minorities in accordance with the Convention.