Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Nicaragua (Ratification: 1967)

The Committee notes the brief information provided in the Government’s report and the accompanying statistics.

1. In its previous comments, the Committee drew the attention of the Government to the need to include in the legislation the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value. The Committee reminds the Government that the manner in which this principle is set out in the Nicaraguan national legislation does not reflect the broader concept set forth in Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention. Article 82(1) of the Political Constitution refers to equal wages for equal work under identical conditions, which is a more restricted concept than the "equal value" provided for in the Convention, which also covers different work which may be considered of equal value for the purpose of calculating remuneration. The Committee once again trusts that the Government will consider the possibility of adopting the necessary measures to bring its legislation into conformity with the Convention on this important point.

2. In its previous comments, the Committee hoped that the Government would take the necessary measures to carry out an objective appraisal of jobs as a means of reducing the wage gap between men and women. The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its last report that it has adopted measures to promote and secure the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value through legislation covering, among other matters, the determination of wages in accordance with the complexity of occupations and the quantity and quality of the work performed. The Committee asks the Government to provide fuller particulars of these measures and, where appropriate, a copy of the relevant legal provisions.

3. The Committee notes from the statistics provided by the Government that the wage gap between men and women in the private sector is increasing in occupations which require a higher level of qualification (average wages of C$4,224 and C$3,169 for men and women with university qualifications, respectively). The wage gap between men and women workers over 30 years of age is also increasing (men C$3,420 and women C$2,784), and even more so for those over 49 years of age (C$4,333 and C$3,131, respectively). The Committee also notes that, according to the Urban Household Survey of July 2001, there are a total of 5,832 men with an income of over C$10,000 and only 2,292 women in the same wage category in the formal sector. The Committee once again asks the Government to provide information on the measures it is adopting to eliminate direct and indirect wage discrimination on grounds of gender, as well as to secure and, where appropriate promote an increase in the number of women engaged in positions of greater responsibility and who receive the same remuneration as men for work of equal value.