Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Honduras (Ratification: 1956)

The Committee notes the observations from the General Confederation of Workers (CGT), received 1 September 2014, and the Government’s reply.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Wage gap. The Committee notes that, according to the CGT, there is a wide gender wage gap and, where women occupy higher-level posts, they are paid less. The Committee notes that, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, the gender gap in total national average earnings was 5 per cent in 2012 and almost 7 per cent in 2013. Nevertheless, if the gender wage gap is examined in terms of branches of activity (taking particular account of the fact that minimum wages are fixed for each branch of activity or geographical area), that difference is much more pronounced in certain cases. For example, the difference in average earnings is 14.67 per cent in agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing; 45.24 per cent in manufacturing; 37.14 per cent in commerce and the hotel industry; 30.72 per cent in communal and social services; and 63.87 per cent among transport drivers. The gap is narrower in high-skill sectors (10 per cent for professional staff and technicians). The Committee previously noted, in the context of its examination of the application of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), the low labour force participation rate for women and the pronounced gender-based occupational segregation in both urban and rural areas. The Committee recalls that pay differentials remain one of the most persistent forms of inequality between women and men, and that governments, along with employers’ and workers’ organizations, need to take more proactive measures to raise awareness, make assessments, and promote and enforce the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value (see General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, 2012, paragraphs 668 and 669). The Committee asks the Government to take specific measures, in cooperation with the social partners, to address adequately the gender pay gap, and to provide information in this respect, including statistics, disaggregated by sex, on the labour market participation of men and women (by occupational sector and level of earnings), in the public and private sectors.

Article 1. Work of equal value. The Committee has been referring for years (since before 2003) to the need to amend section 44 of the Act on equal opportunities for women (LIOM), which provides for the payment of equal wages for equal work. The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that the Under-Ministry for Inclusion and Development has taken measures to enable the Gender Committee in the National Congress to revise and submit proposals for amendments relating to gender, equality, equity and discrimination in employment. Moreover, the National Women’s Institute has concluded an agreement with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to promote amendments to the Labour Code to eliminate any discriminatory provisions. The Committee recalls that the concept of “work of equal value” lies at the heart of the fundamental right of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, and the promotion of equality. The concept of “work of equal value” is fundamental to tackling occupational sex segregation, which characterizes the labour market in Honduras, as it permits a broad scope of comparison including, but going beyond, equal remuneration for “equal”, “the same” or “similar” work, and also encompasses work of an entirely different nature which is nevertheless of equal value (see General Survey, 2012, paragraph 673). The Committee urges the Government to take concrete steps towards amending in the very near future section 44 of the Act on equal opportunities for women (LIOM), so as to incorporate the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any developments in this respect. It encourages the Government, if it so wishes, to request ILO technical assistance in this respect.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.