Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Tunisia (Ratification: 1959)

1. With regard to the promotion of equality between men and women, the Committee notes the Government’s reference to its recent report on the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122). It notes from that report that in 2005, more women than men benefited from the programmes for initiation into professional life (SIVP I and II) as well as the employment training contracts (CEF). Similarly, the number of women who benefited from the professional insertion and adjustment fund (FICAP) in 2005 exceeded the number of men. In comparison, however, only 39 per cent of the beneficiaries of the national employment fund in that year were women, along with only 32 per cent of those who received micro-enterprise financing from the Solidarity Bank of Tunisia. The Committee invites the Government in its next report to continue to provide information on the participation of women in these and similar programmes to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation, and to include details on the number of women who secured work as a result of the above initiatives. Please also provide statistical information, disaggregated by sex, on labour market participation by occupation and sector as well as by position of authority.

2. Reconciling work and family responsibilities. The Committee notes the adoption of Act No. 2006-58 of 28 July 2006 introducing a special regime of part-time work in the public sector. According to the Government’s report, this initiative will enable working mothers to reconcile their work and family responsibilities while preserving two-thirds of their salary in addition to entitlements to advancement, promotion, vacation and social benefits. The Committee notes that these part-time workers may ask to have their full-time status restored, but that the Government does not indicate whether the return to full-time work is guaranteed by the new law. While welcoming the Government’s efforts to provide workers in the public sector with greater flexibility in order to balance their work and family responsibilities, the Committee points out that restricting the scope of this part-time regime to women may reinforce stereotypical attitudes with regard to the societal roles of men and women. Rather, the Government might consider extending the advantages currently afforded to women workers to raise or care for children to men as well. Such a development would enable women to be more competitive on the labour market, since women workers would not be seen by employers as more costly than men. The Committee, therefore, asks the Government to indicate whether it intends to extend these same part-time measures to men working in the public sector. Please also indicate what measures are in place or are  under consideration to secure similar advantages for male and female workers in the private sector. The Committee also again requests information on the follow-up to the proposals of the Commission on Equal Opportunity with regard to promoting women’s participation in the labour market and enabling them to reconcile more effectively their family and professional responsibilities.

3. Sexual harassment. The Committee notes the Government’s clarification that article 226ter of the Penal Code dealing with the prohibition of sexual harassment is applicable to every sphere where a person may be the victim of such treatment, including in the work environment. It notes, however, that no judicial decision to date has been rendered on the application of article 226ter in cases of sexual harassment at work. The Committee asks the Government to provide additional information in its next report on the labour inspection activities, educational and awareness-raising measures as well as cooperative initiatives with workers’ and employers’ organizations undertaken to address sexual harassment in employment and occupation.

4. Article 3(e). Equal access of women to education, vocational training and guidance. The Committee welcomes the statistics provided along with the Government’s report, particularly those showing the positive trend towards higher enrolment and lower drop-out rates among the female student population. With respect to the Government’s efforts to improve literacy, the Committee notes the results achieved under the National Adult Education Programme (NAEP) over the past five years, especially with regard to the promotion of education and literacy for women. Recalling the targets identified by the Government in its previous report, the Committee notes that the NAEP figures show a female literacy rate of 79 per cent – 1 per cent higher than the target set for 2006. Noting that the NAEP continues to give policy priority to the female population, the Committee encourages the Government to provide ongoing information on the results achieved in terms of female literacy and participation rates in education, both in urban and rural areas. Also, recalling its previous comment that training for girls continues to focus on traditionally female sectors, the Committee asks the Government to indicate how it plans to broaden the range of educational and training opportunities for girls and women to provide them with greater job opportunities and career choices. The Committee further asks the Government to provide information on the measures taken to encourage women to choose from a wider variety of vocational training courses, including those traditionally confined to men, and to provide statistics, disaggregated by sex, on the participation of men and women in the various vocational training courses offered.