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

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Cameroon (Ratification: 1970)

Article 3 of the Convention. Objective job evaluation. The Committee notes that, according to the general information supplied by the Government, the content of each job in the sector where agreements are negotiated and the requisite diplomas are determined by the workers and employers of the sector and that it is on this basis that the classification of jobs and the corresponding wages are drawn up, with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security acting as arbitrator. The Committee reminds the Government in this connection that it is important to ensure that in the event of negotiations on the classification of jobs and setting of wages, the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value is taken into account, and to make sure that in determining the value of jobs, the work done largely or exclusively by women is not undervalued in comparison with the work done largely or exclusively by men. The Committee repeats the request it made to the Government in its previous comments to indicate the evaluation methods used where there is collective bargaining to establish a job classification and fix wages, specifying the criteria used by the social partners. It also repeats its request to the Government to provide information on the method or methods it uses in determining the guaranteed interoccupational minimum wage (SMIG).

Article 4. Cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the measures under way to convince the social partners that the provisions of collective agreements need to be consistent with the principles of the Convention are to be pursued. The Committee asks the Government to provide detailed information on the measures taken to raise awareness among the social partners of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value.

Differences in remuneration. Labour inspection and supervision of the practical application of the Convention. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that more than 300 inspection visits are carried out every year in the so‑called “remote” areas and that breaches of the principle of equal remuneration are seldom noted. The Committee recalls that the fact that no breaches are reported does not necessarily mean that there is no wage discrimination, and that such discrimination is often difficult to detect, particularly in the absence of an objective job evaluation method. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the measures taken to improve training for labour inspectors in combating wage inequalities and to provide them with the necessary tools and resources to identify and remedy wage discrimination. It asks the Government to provide extracts from inspection reports relating to supervision of the provisions of the law that relate to equal remuneration. Lastly, noting that the report supplies no information on the matter, it also asks the Government once again to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to help men and women workers to establish discrimination with respect to remuneration.

Statistics. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that it is still difficult to assess the nature and extent of any wage inequality between men and women since the regulatory framework in force is conducive to observance of wage equality among workers, whether in the private sector or the public service. The Committee points out in this connection that statistics of men’s and women’s remuneration in the private and the public sectors are essential to preventing and combating wage discrimination effectively. It asks the Government to take the necessary steps to have statistics compiled on the level of men’s and of women’s earnings, by sector and by occupation in the private sector and in the public service, allowing a practical assessment of the nature, extent and causes of differentials in remuneration between men and women so that appropriate remedial measures may be devised.