Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Cyprus (Ratification: 1987)

Addressing the gender remuneration gap. The Committee notes that in its report, the Government refers to the project “Actions for reducing the gender pay gap” which was implemented through a series of measures between 2011 and 2015. The Committee further notes that in its report on the application of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), the Government indicates that these measures included, among others, a tripartite conference on equal pay, the improvement of inspection mechanisms for equal pay legislation, the establishment of a National Certification Body, measures to eliminate occupational and sectoral segregation, training of teachers and parents to diversify women’s academic and professional choices, specialized training programmes for practitioners and social partners and the examination of collective agreements for the identification of discrimination regarding pay. Despite all these measures, the Committee notes, from the Eurostat statistics on the gender pay gap, that the unadjusted pay gap only went down from 16.4 per cent in 2011 to 16.2 per cent in 2012. It also notes from the Eurostat data that in 2013 the gender pay gap was 24.1 per cent in the private sector and 0.3 per cent in the public sector. The Committee requests the Government to continue to take measures, including within the framework of the project “Actions for reducing the gender pay gap”, to reduce the gender pay gap, to improve inspection mechanisms and eliminate occupational and sectoral segregation, and to provide detailed information on the progress achieved in this regard. Please also provide information on the activities undertaken by the National Certification Body in relation to the promotion of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. The Government is also requested to explain why, in its opinion, the gender remuneration gap has not decreased further between 2011 and 2012 and why it remains as high as 24 per cent in the private sector, despite the various measures put in place. Finally, the Committee requests the Government to provide up-to-date and detailed statistical data on the gender remuneration gap, disaggregated by sex, sector and level of occupation.

Article 3 of the Convention. Job evaluation systems. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that between December 2014 and May 2015, the National Certification Body has certified 20 businesses for their good practice relating to equal treatment and/or equal pay between men and women. It also notes that officers and inspectors of the Department of Labour Relations of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance received training from experts to learn how to perform objective job evaluations. Further, in line with the project “Actions for reducing the gender pay gap”, it is envisaged that job evaluation procedures will feature extensively in a specialized manual to be created and utilized by employers. The Committee requests the Government to provide concrete information on the job evaluations carried out and their impact on the achievement of the principle of the Convention. Please also provide a copy of the specialized manual detailing the evaluation procedures to be followed by employers, once it is published.

Article 4. Cooperation with social partners. The Committee recalls the Government’s previous indication that employers’ and workers’ organizations had been invited to examine the compliance of collective agreements with equal pay provisions. In addition, as noted above, one of the measures of the project “Actions for reducing the gender pay gap” was to provide training to members of trade unions and employers’ associations regarding the promotion of equal pay in the collective bargaining process. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the impact that the training delivered to the social partners had on collective agreements with respect to the principle of the Convention. It also requests the Government to provide information on any progress made in examining and ensuring that collective agreements comply with the equal pay provisions, as well as information on any other awareness-raising activities.

Minimum wages. The Government indicates, in its report on the application of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), that the statutory minimum wage applies to nine occupations and has not increased since 2012. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on any future increases in the minimum wage rates, particularly in sectors in which women are predominantly employed, and to indicate how it ensures that minimum wage rates are free from any gender bias.

Enforcement. The Committee recalls the low number of complaints filed on equal pay. It also previously noted that a consultant was to be appointed to promote specific measures aimed at raising awareness regarding the existing complaints mechanisms, with a view to eliminating reluctance to file complaints. The Government indicates that, during 2012 and 2013, labour inspectors and officers of the Ombudsman’s office received intensive training on the enforcement of equal pay and that a target of 1,000 inspections on equal pay would be concluded by the end of 2015. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the inspections carried out by the labour inspectorate as well as on any sanctions and remedies imposed. Noting the absence of any information in this regard, the Committee, once again, requests the Government to provide detailed information on the contents of the awareness raising activities on complaint mechanisms, as well as any measures taken to make the complaint mechanisms more accessible to the general public. Please provide information on the practical application of Act No. 38(I) of 2009 (Amendment) regarding equal remuneration between men and women for the same work and for work of equal value, including complaints concerning violations of the equal remuneration legislation brought before the competent bodies and the courts.