Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Dominican Republic (Ratification: 1964)

1. Export processing zones. The Committee notes from the Government’s report on the application of the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), that the statistics reflect the increase in the percentage of women compared with men employed in export processing zones. It further notes that, according to the Government, minimum wages in these zones are agreed by the parties with active participation of the federations of workers in export processing zones. The Committee again asks the Government to provide information in its next report on the main causes of the tendency to hire female labour in the export processing zones, including statistics on the distribution of jobs and posts disaggregated by sex.

2. Vocational training. The Committee notes that, according to the Government, in 2004 the Directorate of Vocational Training of the Ministry of Labour offered 159 apprenticeship contracts requested by 80 enterprises for various activities, 57 per cent of which were for men and 43 per cent for women. It also notes the information that the National Institute for Technical Vocational Training (INFOTEP) provides training in textile trades in export processing zones as well as elsewhere and that in 2004, 643 apprenticeship contracts were offered, of which 434 went to women and 209 to men. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the vocational training activities carried out by the Government and on their impact, particularly in the export processing zones, with a breakdown by sex.

3. Sexual harassment. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that educational and advocacy measures to prevent sexual harassment are being implemented through the Secretariat of State and the General Directorate for Gender of the Ministry of Labour. The Committee again asks the Government to envisage the possibility of adopting a definition of sexual harassment in the Labour Code that takes account of the comments made by the Committee in its general observation of 2002; and, with regard to section 47(9) of the Labour Code under which employers are prohibited from carrying out any action against workers that may be regarded as sexual harassment and from supporting or failing to intervene in, any such action carried out by their representatives, to provide information or further details on the coverage of the persons protected by this provision, the scope of the protection, the administrative machinery for dealing with sexual harassment, including procedures for protection of the victims and of those accused of harassment, education and advocacy measures taken or envisaged and cooperation with organizations of employers and workers to deal with sexual harassment through policies and collective agreements.