Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Jamaica (Ratification: 1975)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments.

Repetition

Article 2 of the Convention. Minimum wages and wage-fixing mechanisms. The Committee notes the information in the Government’s report concerning the setting and payment of minimum wages. The Committee recalls the existence of occupational segregation in the country and that low-paying sectors tend to be dominated by women. The Committee recalls that it has drawn attention to the importance of giving special attention in the design and adjustment of minimum wage schemes to ensuring that minimum wage rates are free from gender bias. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any action taken by the Minimum Wage Advisory Commission to review minimum wage schemes from a gender perspective to ensure that they are established free from direct or indirect gender bias, and in particular that skills or work considered to be “female” are not undervalued in the wage-fixing process.

Awareness raising. The Committee asks the Government to report on any information, education, training or guidance developed or provided to ensure that persons responsible for determining rates of remuneration, including those on government bodies, government advisory bodies, trade unions and private sector employers understand how to promote equal remuneration for men and women in accordance with the Convention.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation. The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report on the two evaluation systems (grade description and point factor) used in the classification of government employees and wage fixing. The Committee further notes that there are no explicit references to men or women in the classification system or the evaluation criteria. Nevertheless, the Committee understands that in general, within such evaluation systems, some criteria used may have an indirect negative impact on women by undervaluing their skill or the effort required in posts predominantly held by women. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide the guidelines and specific criteria (for example, physical, mental or emotional effort, skill, working environment) used in both the grade description and point factor evaluation systems. With respect to the private sector, the Committee asks the Government to provide information on any steps taken, with the collaboration of workers’ and employers’ organizations, to develop and implement objective job evaluation methodologies in the private sector.

Monitoring and enforcement. The Committee notes that some improvement has been achieved in the enforcement of the Minimum Wage Act. It further notes that women in higher salary positions also face challenges with respect to the implementation of the Equal Pay Act. Noting the lack of complaints brought under the Equal Pay Act, the Committee hopes that the Government will take the opportunity to review the complaint processes under the Act when it undertakes a review of the Act as urged by the Committee in its observation on the Convention. The Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on inspections, complaints, decisions and cases concerning violations of the principle of equal remuneration. It also asks the Government to report on any information, education, training or guidance developed or provided to ensure that persons responsible for inspecting, advising or handling complaints or potential complaints understand the principle of equal remuneration. It further asks the Government to provide any such information aimed at informing workers of their rights to equal remuneration.

Statistics. Noting the lack of income and wage data disaggregated by sex, the Committee requests the Government to take steps to collect, analyse and publish statistics on the earnings of men and women, by sector and occupation, in the public and private sectors, including men and women covered by the minimum wage schemes in each sector.