Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2002, published 91st ILC session (2003)

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

The Committee notes the comments submitted by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) on 6 February 2002. It also notes the Government’s reply of 13 May 2002 to the comments made by the ICFTU as well as the ICFTU’s further clarifications of 9 October 2002.

1. The Committee notes the comments made by the ICFTU that women in general continue to face discrimination in employment and that rural women farmers, who constitute the majority of the working poor, face discrimination in terms of access to productive resources. According to the ICFTU, women are under-represented in education and quality employment, including the more secure and higher paying administrative and managerial positions, of which only 5 per cent are held by women. Further to previous comments, the Committee also notes the Government’s statement that, until recently, employers in the agricultural sector in remote rural areas were taking advantage of the illiteracy and ignorance of the local people by paying female employees less than male employees and, in some cases, by paying all employees less than the recommended statutory minimum wage. It asks the Government to provide a copy of the minimum wage order adopted for the agricultural sector as well as information on the measures taken or envisaged to inform employers and rural men and women about the requirements of the Convention and of the national legislation concerning equal pay. Noting also that the labour inspection services are monitoring the implementation of the Employment Act of 2000 in the remote rural areas, the Committee asks the Government to keep it informed of any wage disparity between men and women reported by the labour inspection services in this sector and the corrective action taken.

2. Further to the above, the Committee notes the various initiatives listed by the Government to promote the employment of women, in particular the programmes to promote women’s participation in non-traditional occupations and in political and decision-making structures and the initiative to provide credit facilities to rural women. The Committee recalls that the elimination and reduction of wage inequalities between men and women requires a comprehensive approach involving societal, political and cultural and labour market interventions to promote equality of opportunity and equal treatment of men and women in employment and occupation, including in higher level administrative and managerial positions. It refers, in this regard, to its comments made under the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No.111), and asks the Government to indicate how the abovementioned initiatives have impacted on the promotion of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, especially for rural women.

The Committee is raising other points in a request directly addressed to the Government.