Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Mauritania (Ratification: 2001)

Article 3 of the Convention. Objective job evaluation. The Committee recalls that clause 35 of the general collective labour agreement 13 February 1974 envisages the classification of workers’ jobs into categories on the basis of work that they perform, without specifying the criteria used to make this classification. In its previous comments, the Committee had asked the Government to provide information on the criteria used in practice to classify jobs into the various wage categories on the basis of the work involved. The Committee notes that the Government has merely pointed out that the criteria used in practice to classify jobs is not discriminatory, since they are in accordance with the legal provisions and regulations in force. The Committee therefore asks the Government to stipulate the criteria to assess jobs determined by the legislation and to provide information on the means of assessment used to classify jobs on the basis of the work involved. The Government is also asked to provide information on any appeals examined by the Classification Commission, under clause 36 of the general collective labour agreement.

Enforcement. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the labour inspector ensures compliance with the principle of equal remuneration by verifying that a payslip certified by the employer exists. It would nevertheless like to point out that, although this measure allows the labour inspector to ascertain that a worker has indeed been paid his or her wage, it does not allow the inspector to compare the remuneration paid to men and women for work of equal value or, consequently, to detect any case of wage discrimination. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the measures taken to enhance the capacity of labour inspectors to identify unequal wages and wage discrimination between women and men.