Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Barbados (Ratification: 1974)

The Committee notes with deep concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments. The Committee informs the Government that, if it has not supplied replies to the points raised by 1 September 2022, then it may proceed with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the information at its disposal at its next session.

Repetition

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Equal remuneration for work of equal value. Legislation. In previous comments, the Committee noted the absence of a legislative framework supporting the right to equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. Having noted also that the existing mechanisms for collective bargaining and wage councils for wage determination did not seem to promote and ensure effectively this right, the Committee requested the Government to take measures to give full legislative expression to the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. The Committee notes from the Government’s report on Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) that the draft National Gender Policy, which includes a section on employment, is currently being reviewed by the relevant ministries but that the Employment (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill is yet to be adopted. The Committee once again recalls the particular importance of capturing in legislation the concept of “work of equal value” in order to address the segregation of men and women in certain sectors and occupations due to gender stereotypes. In light of the ongoing legislative and policy developments on gender equality and non-discrimination, the Committee asks the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value will be fully reflected in the National Gender Policy and in the Employment (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill, and to provide a copy of the policy and the new legislation, once adopted.

Gender earnings gap and occupational segregation. The Committee notes from the statistics published by the Barbados Statistical Service (Labour Force Survey) that of all women employed in 2015, 52.4 per cent earned less than 500 Barbadian dollars (BBD) per week compared to 41.8 per cent of all men employed in that same year. Among those earning between BBD500 and BBD999 per week, men represented almost 56 per cent and women only 44 per cent. Among those earning between BBD1,000 and BBD1,300, women represented 46.6 per cent and men 53.1 per cent. Men also account for a little more than half of the workers (52.5 per cent) in the highest earnings group (over BBD1,300). The Committee further notes from the Labour Force Survey data for 2015 the persistent occupational gender segregation of the economy with women mostly employed as service workers and clerks while men are mostly employed as craft and related workers or plant and machine operators. When looking at economic sectors, women workers are highly represented in “Accommodation and Food Services”, and their numbers sometimes more than doubles or triples the number of male workers in “Finance and Insurance”, “Education” and “Human Health and Social Work”. Women are also over-represented among household employees. In contrast, men largely predominate in the “Construction” and “Transportation and Storage” sectors. The Committee further refers to its comments on Convention No. 111. The Committee asks the Government to take measures to reduce the earnings gap between men and women and to increase the employment of women in jobs with career opportunities and higher pay. Recalling that wage inequalities may arise due to the segregation of men and women into certain sectors and occupations, the Committee also asks the Government to provide information on the results achieved under the National Employment Policy and the National Gender Policy, once adopted, to address occupational gender segregation and to increase the employment of women and men in sectors and occupations in which they are under-represented.

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

The Committee expects that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.