Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Botswana (Ratification: 1997)

Article 3 of the Convention. Objective job evaluation. It its previous comments, the Committee noted that the principle of equal pay for work of equal value was set as a basic principle for job evaluation in the Job Evaluation Manual for the Public Service, but that the Manual did not specifically refer to equal remuneration between men and women. The Committee notes the Government’s description of the Decision Band System (or the Peterson Grading System). It notes that the System of concern is a form of job evaluation used by the Job Evaluation Manual for the Public Service in that it measures and assesses the relative levels of responsibility, with a view to producing a rank or hierarchy showing the relative importance of one job vis-à-vis another. In this regard, the Committee emphasizes that when using job evaluation methods, particular care must be taken to ensure that they are free from gender bias; it is important to ensure that the selection of factors for comparison, the weighing of such factors and the actual comparison carried out are not discriminatory, either directly or indirectly (see 2012 General Survey, paragraph 701). The Committee, therefore, requests the Government to provide information on how it is ensured that the job evaluation conducted through the Job Evaluation Manual for the Public Service is free from gender bias. In this regard, the Committee requests the Government to provide specific information on the criteria used by the Job Evaluation Manual, as well as information on measures taken to promote objective job evaluation in the private sector.

Articles 2 and 3. Measures to promote equal remuneration. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that measures to promote equal remuneration will be considered during the review of the Employment Act of 1982. In this regard, the Committee emphasizes that giving legislative effect to the principle of the Convention is important, but that a range of proactive measures is also necessary to achieve the goal of the Convention, such as measures to deal with the persistent underlying causes such as gender stereotypes and horizontal and vertical occupational segregation (see 2012 General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, paragraphs 710–712). The Committee repeats its request to the Government to provide information on measures taken to promote equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, including any measures to identify and address any underlying causes of pay differentials such as vertical and horizontal job segregation and gender stereotypes, including in the context of the amendment of the Employment Act of 1982.

Assessment of the gender pay gap. The Committee previously requested the Government to collect and provide statistical information on the gender pay gap. It notes the Government’s indication that while the Labour Statistics Report of 2011, did not contain this information, a labour force survey to be conducted in 2016, would do so. The Committee trusts that the Government will take the necessary steps to ensure that the 2016 Labour Force Survey will include statistical information on the earnings of men and women in various occupations and sectors, and allow an assessment to be made regarding the gender pay gap in the public and private sectors. It requests the Government to provide information on the findings of the Survey.

[The Government is asked to reply in full to the present comments in 2017.]