Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

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

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Articles 1(b) and 2(2)(a) of the Convention. Equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. Legislation. The Committee notes with regret the Government’s indication, in its report, that the Labour Standards Bill, which will introduce a provision covering the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value in the legislation, has not yet been adopted. Recalling that the adoption of the Labour Standards Bill has been pending since 2006, the Committee again urges the Government totake the necessary steps to accelerate the adoption of the Labour Standards Bill that should fully reflect the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of “equal value” in its provisions, allowing for the comparison not only of equal, the same or similar work but also of work of an entirely different nature.

Gender wage gap. Application of the Convention in practice. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the gender pay gap is partly due to the cultural and value systems. It notes the Government’s indication that measures have been taken to address the gender pay gap: (1) implementation of the National Policy on Gender in Education and its Implementation Guide (2021), with a main focus to close the gender gap in school enrolment and drop-out rates at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels; (2) implementation of the Adolescent Girl Initiative for Learning and Empowerment Programme (AGILE) (2020-2025), supported by the World Bank, to enhance women’s economic empowerment and increase women’s access to education and employment; and (3) skills training and capacity building of women entrepreneurs through the “50 Million African Women Speak” project. The Committee takes note of the data provided by the Government on the employment of men and women in different employment sectors for 2019 and 2020. The Government further indicates that statistical data is available in the Nigerian Living Standard Survey 2018-2019, but the Committee notes that this Survey provides information on the poverty rates in urban and rural areas and not on the earnings of men and women in different economic sectors and professional categories. In this regard, the Committee refers to its General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, 2012, paragraph 888. The Committee requests the Government to provide: (i) information on the impact of the measures adopted to address the gender pay gap; (ii) up-to-date statistical data, disaggregated by sex, on the distribution of workers in the public sector, by occupational category, specifying their corresponding remuneration level; and (iii) information on the measures adopted in cooperation with workers and employers’ organizations to raise awareness and promote the application of the provisions of the Convention in practice.