Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Burkina Faso (Ratification: 1969)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Article 1 of the Convention. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the wage differentials between men and women are linked inter alia to the fact that family allowances and tax relief for family expenditure are granted to the man unless the woman expressly requests otherwise. The Committee refers to Article 1(a) of the Convention and asks the Government to send information on all measures taken or envisaged to abolish the discriminatory provisions on remuneration, particularly on family allowance and tax relief.

Article 2. National Policy for the Advancement of Women. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report, women account for 51 per cent of the population deemed to be living in extreme poverty. The Government also indicates that women are in the majority in the informal and agricultural sectors and are largely under-represented in most jobs, particularly middle and top management jobs, where they hold 10 per cent and 29.6 per cent of posts, respectively. The report further indicates that in Burkina Faso a woman’s life is still to a large extent governed by customary rules and practices which enshrine the traditional distribution of roles and tasks between men and women, and that some employers are reluctant to hire women in case family responsibilities keep them away from work. The Committee notes that in order to remedy the persistent inequalities between men and women, the National Policy for the Advancement of Women provides for priority measures to reduce social and cultural practices which are acknowledged as backward and demeaning for women, to promote women’s access to employment and training and their participation in decision-making bodies. The Committee asks the Government to send information on the application of the National Policy for the Advancement of Women as concerns the reduction of the wage differentials between men and women, and more particularly on its impact in reducing the segregation of women in the labour market and their participation in middle and top management posts.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation. The Committee notes once again that the Government has sent no information on the measures taken to have an objective evaluation of jobs carried out in the public and the private sectors. It points out that according to Article 3(1), application of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value necessarily implies some form of comparison between jobs. The Committee refers the Government to its general observation of 2006 in which it pointed out that while it lays down no particular method for such an evaluation, the Convention does presuppose the use of appropriate techniques for objective job evaluation (general observation, 2006, paragraph 5). Since the information sent by the Government on the National Policy for the Advancement of Women shows that men and women do different jobs, it is essential to use such a technique that will determine whether the jobs that involve different work may nonetheless have the same value for the purpose of remuneration. The Committee points out that adopting non-discriminatory evaluation criteria and applying them in a uniform manner is of vital importance to reducing the wage differentials that arise from traditional stereotypes in terms of the “value of work”. The Committee accordingly repeats its request to the Government to send information on the operation of the job classification system and on any other initiatives taken in the public service or in enterprises to ensure that an objective job evaluation is carried out for the purpose of setting wages.

Objective evaluation of domestic tasks. The Committee notes that according to the Government’s report, the Economic Commission for Africa has paved the way for a pilot project in Burkina Faso with the aim of conducting a major evaluation of the domestic tasks performed by women. Economic aggregates are to be used in determining women’s economic and financial performance. The Committee asks the Government to send information on the progress made in conducting the evaluation of women’s domestic tasks and on the results obtained.

Article 4. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes that cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations still takes place through the Labour Advisory Committee. Noting that the Government provides no information on the work of this body, the Committee reiterates its request for information on all activities carried out in cooperation with the social partners to promote the application of the Convention.

Practical application of the principle. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that significant progress has been made in applying the principle of equality of remuneration between men and women in that no complaints in this area have been recorded by the labour inspection services. The Government further indicates that in order to ensure that the principle of equality of remuneration is applied effectively, it is gradually providing the inspectorate with the necessary means to inspect workplaces. The Committee wishes to draw the Government’s attention to the fact that the absence of complaints does not necessarily mean that there is no wage discrimination. It can also be an indication of a lack of awareness on the part of victims of their rights and the means of redress available to them. The Committee asks the Government to keep it informed of the measures taken to ensure effective application of the principle of the Convention, particularly advocacy and information campaigns about the principle of the Convention. It also asks the Government to keep it informed of any judicial or administrative decisions relating to the principle of the Convention.

Part V of the report form. Statistical information. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report, there are no wage differentials between men and women workers. It notes, however, that the Government provides no statistics in support of this statement. In view of the difficulties involved in assessing progress made in the application of the principle of equality of remuneration, the Committee asks the Government once again to provide, in so far as it is able, statistics on the remuneration of men and women in the labour market.