Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Côte d'Ivoire (Ratification: 1961)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report on the application of the Convention.

1.  The Committee notes the Government’s statement to the effect that the draft decree on wages intended to replace the Decree of 9 February 1973, which has been under discussion since 1996, has been approved by the social partners in the Advisory Labour Commission. It asks the Government to keep it informed as to the adoption of the text, and hopes to receive a copy when it has been adopted.

2.  The Committee notes the Government’s reply to its question concerning section 14 of Act No. 92-570 of 1992 describing the general conditions of service of public servants, under which access to certain posts may be restricted to individuals of one sex or the other on grounds of physical aptitude. The Government states that these consist of fairly marginal positions without any significant impact on the determination of categories of public servants, or their grades and salaries. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide a list of these positions.

3.  The Committee refers to its previous comments concerning a study on the evaluation and classification of jobs, which the Government had envisaged undertaking earlier, but which it had not been able to undertake in the end due to financial constraints (see the report of 1993 and the Committee’s subsequent comments). The Committee has since noted the Government’s statement to the effect that the evaluation of jobs must be based on objective considerations founded essentially on criteria such as the nature of jobs and the hazards that they involve. In its general observation of 1998 on this Convention, the Committee emphasized that, in order to apply the Convention fully, efforts must be made by governments which go beyond the mere removal of male and female wage classifications. It emphasized the need for an analysis of the position and pay of men and women in all job categories within and between the various sectors with a view to addressing the problem of the continuing remuneration gap between men and women based on sex. The Committee once again encourages the Government to endeavour to undertake this study, if necessary requesting assistance from the ILO, and including if possible statistics on the wage rates and average earnings of men and women in the public and private sectors, if possible by occupation, branch of activity, seniority and skills level, and the participation rates of women in the various occupations.

4.  The Committee notes the areas of responsibility of the Ministry of Employment, Public Service and Social Welfare Service in the application and supervision of labour legislation. This function is carried out with the assistance of the labour inspection services, which are decentralized and distributed throughout the national territory. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information on equal remuneration, the number and nature of the violations reported, the methods of dealing with violations and the means of recourse available to persons who consider that they have suffered wage discrimination.