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

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Sri Lanka (Ratification: 1993)

Article 2 of the Convention. Palm oil plantations. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that it has not determined minimum wages for palm oil workers as the number of workers is relatively small. However, the Department of Labour is currently looking into the issue. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the steps taken and progress made in determining minimum wages for palm oil workers. The Committee again asks the Government to provide information on the number of workers in the various occupations in the rubber and palm oil plantations, disaggregated by sex.

Export processing zones. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the Board of Investment determines higher wages for workers in the export processing zones (EPZs) than the minimum wages determined by wage boards. Recalling the concentration of women in lower paid occupations in the EPZs, the Committee asks the Government to provide more detailed information regarding the process of wage determination in the EPZs and how the principle of the Convention is taken into account in this process, in particular with a view to ensuring that the jobs predominantly performed by women are not undervalued.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation. Regarding the Committee’s request for information on job evaluation methods in the public and private sectors, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Salary and Cadre Commission, Administrative Reform Council and the Ministry of Public Administration have taken steps to devise an appropriate framework of job analysis based on the contemporary practices of the public administration. With respect to objective job evaluation in the private sector, the Government states that this is a complex and time-consuming effort, therefore more time is needed to develop such a job evaluation method. The Committee asks the Government to provide detailed information on the job evaluation framework developed for the public administration, and the concrete steps taken to develop and promote practical approaches and methods for objective job evaluation in the private sector.

Part V of the report form. Statistics and practical application of the Convention. The Committee again asks the Government to provide information on the respective earnings of women and men at each level within the various occupational categories in the public and private sectors, and to provide information on measures taken to reduce the gender wage gap.