Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Switzerland (Ratification: 1972)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Wage gap and its causes. The Committee notes the detailed information provided by the Government on the gender wage gap and their underlying cause. It notes that, in the private sector, the wage gap narrowed by 1 per cent between 2008 and 2010 (to 18.4 per cent) but widened between 2010 and 2012 to reach 18.9 per cent. In the public sector as a whole, the average wage gap was 13.6 per cent. The information also shows that the component unexplained by objective factors (“discrimination component”) decreased from 745 Swiss francs (CHF) per month in 2008 to CHF677 in 2010 in the private sector; however, major differences are observed according to sector of activity. In the public sector (Confederation), the discrimination component increased slightly, from CHF254 in 2008 to CHF259 in 2010. As regards the 2010 survey of fringe benefits, the Government indicates that these are constantly increasing and an analysis of fringe benefits from a gender perspective, based on the 2012 Wage Structure Survey, will soon be conducted. The Committee recalls that since wage discrimination cannot be tackled effectively unless action is taken simultaneously to deal with its causes (for example, stereotypes regarding women’s role in terms of family responsibilities or resulting in limited job choices or undervaluation of their work), it is important to address equal remuneration in the context of the more general rights and protections regarding gender equality and non-discrimination (see General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, 2012, paragraphs 712–719). The Committee asks the Government to examine the underlying causes of the gender pay gap in the wider context of gender equality in employment and occupation, and to take the necessary steps to remedy them. Noting that the gender wage gap remains significant and is only changing very slowly, the Committee asks the Government to continue evaluating these disparities, including the component unexplained by objective factors, and to provide information on any developments in this respect. The Committee further asks the Government to provide information, including statistics, on the conclusions of the survey of fringe benefits paid by enterprises in relation to gender wage equality.

Measures to promote wage equality. The Committee welcomes the awareness-raising, information and training measures relating to wage equality taken by the Government between 2012 and 2014. It notes that the Federal Office for Gender Equality (BFEG) regularly updates Logib (the Confederation’s equality monitoring tool) and its user guide, and plans to present this tool to all Swiss enterprises employing more than 50 workers. The Committee also welcomes the inclusion in the 2011–15 legislative programme of the objective to “strengthen measures for combating gender wage discrimination and examine additional instruments that might be adopted by the public authorities”. The Committee notes that the BFEG receives additional resources enabling it, inter alia, to conduct further monitoring of wage equality in the area of public procurement. In this respect it notes the information supplied by the Government on monitoring and on the results of the pilot project conducted between 2011 and 2013 in the Canton of Bern. It notes in particular that monitoring within enterprises awarded cantonal public procurement contracts will take place in the Canton of Geneva and is under consideration in several other cantons. The Committee further notes that, at the federal level, an interdepartmental working party has been set up to consider the establishment of a system of accreditation (for a fixed period) for enterprises wishing to conclude a public procurement contract with the Confederation, under which these enterprises would undergo voluntary prior monitoring of wage equality. Welcoming the Government’s efforts and initiatives in favour of wage equality, particularly regarding the development of training and monitoring tools, the Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on the awareness-raising, information and training measures taken to promote equal remuneration among workers, employers and their organizations, human resources managers and administration officials. The Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on the steps taken to ensure that, in the context of public procurement, bidding enterprises respect and apply the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, indicating the conclusions of the abovementioned working party and any follow-up measures.

Article 4. Cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on the implementation of the “equal wages dialogue” by employers’ and workers’ organizations, according to which only 51 enterprises, employing a total of 230,000 workers, had taken part in the dialogue by the end of February 2014, whereas the initial target had been 100 enterprises. The Committee notes that, according to the assessment of this initiative, the concept of optional measures to achieve wage equality on a voluntary basis did not achieve its aim but that awareness of the issue has nevertheless been raised among enterprises, including those employing fewer than 50 workers. Furthermore, between 2010 and 2013, the federal administrative department has undertaken an analysis of wages throughout the administration in the context of an agreement signed with the social partners in November 2010 with a view to implementing the “equal wages dialogue”, and the results achieved using Logib show that wage equality is observed. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the measures taken or contemplated to pursue cooperation with workers’ and employers’ organizations with regard to wage equality and on the results achieved. The Government is also requested to supply information on any measures taken to raise awareness among workers’ and employers’ organizations of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value.