Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Israel (Ratification: 1965)

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report and the statistical data attached.

1. The Committee notes from the detailed statistical information attached to the Government’s report that women’s gross wages per hour increased in 1998 to 83 per cent of men’s wages, compared to 81 per cent in 1997. It also notes that the average monthly wage of women for both 1997 and 1998 was only 61 per cent of the monthly average wage of men. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the differentials between women’s and men’s hourly and monthly wages is due to the fact that women work fewer hours, on average 25 per cent less than men, and that a majority of women work less than 35 hours per week. However, men workers still earn 17 per cent more per hour than women workers. The Committee asks the Government to continue supplying statistical data and to provide information on promotional measures that are envisaged to continue narrowing the remuneration gap between men and women workers.

2. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that all public sector workers are under the jurisdiction of the Civil Service Commission, which is responsible for, inter alia, the appointment of workers, their training and the advancement of women’s status in government service. However, the Committee notes that the Government did not provide information concerning its comments on section 14(1) of the Workers’ Equal Pay Act of 1996, which provides that where the State is the employer, "every department, as defined in section 1 of the State Service (Appointments) Act No. 5719-1959, shall be deemed a separate workplace". The Committee once again recalls that the principles set out in the Convention extends beyond cases where work is performed in the same establishment, and beyond jobs performed by both sexes. In applying the principle of the Convention, the reach of the comparison between the jobs performed by men and women should be as wide as allowed by the level at which wage policies, systems and structures are coordinated. The Committee therefore reiterates its request to the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to ensure the application of the principle of the Convention to all public sector workers regardless of the department or sector in which they are employed.

3. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government concerning the distribution of men and women workers at the different levels and in the different sectors of the civil service. It particularly notes that 62 per cent of all civil servants were women in 1999, but that women workers represented only 36 per cent of the highest three grades of civil servants, while in the grade 8 and below, 71 per cent were women workers. The Committee notes that, in order to improve the representation of women workers in the public sector, the following promotional measures were proposed by the Unit for the Advancement and Integration of Women in the Civil Service to the Civil Service Commissioner in 1999: the preparation of a detailed study of women’s advancement; the establishment of specific goals for each individual government office for the appointment of women; the inclusion of the subject of women’s status in all educational activities; and the promotion of amendments to the State Service Act to make the director-general of each office directly responsible for implementing the law. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the promotional measures and their impact on promoting application of the Convention.

4. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the Authority for the Status of Women has, since its inception in 1999, carried out a number of promotional measures with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on a variety of topics. The Committee notes in particular that the Unit for the Advancement and Integration of Women in the Civil Service found examples of wage inequality in the civil service between men and women workers holding equal positions, where men received higher wages due to working overtime hours, receiving car maintenance allowances and duty payments for on-call availability and the reimbursement of travel and meal expenses. The Committee notes that the Knesset Committee has invited the Treasury and the Civil Service Commission to discuss and analyse the issue of discrimination against women workers in the civil service and asks the Government to provide information on the outcome of these discussions. It hopes this will result in the elimination of any discovered pay disparities.

5. The Committee notes the statement in the Government’s report that the Labour Court has so far not ordered any job evaluation to be carried out under the Workers’ Equal Pay Act of 1996. The Committee reiterates its request to the Government to provide information on any other actions taken under the Act to implement the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that no job evaluations have been carried out in the civil service due to the failure of the workers’ and employers’ organizations to reach agreement in this respect. The Committee asks the Government to indicate the efforts that have been made to promote social partner cooperation with a view to the resumption of the project. It also notes the Government’s statement that the process of undertaking job evaluations of social workers’ positions in the various organizations has not progressed during the reporting period. Recalling once again the importance of carrying out job evaluations in promoting the implementation of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value, the Committee therefore asks the Government to provide information on efforts made to carry out job evaluations for these workers as well as in other parts of the public service.

6. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government regarding the violations of the Minimum Wage Act of 1987 reported by the labour inspectors. It asks the Government to specify whether these inspections carried out concerned violations of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value.