Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2008, published 98th ILC session (2009)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (Ratification: 1982)

Wage gap and statistical data. The Committee notes that, according to the report of July 2008, of the total number of women who were fit for work, 92.9 per cent were employed, while the total for men was 92 per cent. However, this information does not allow the Committee to gain an understanding of the employment situation of women and their remuneration. The Committee asks the Government to provide detailed information on the sectors of employment, hierarchical level and remuneration of women in comparison with men.

In 2007, the Committee noted, for example, that the Equality for Women Plan 2004–09 establishes amongst its main pillars “promoting (…) mechanisms to reduce the wage gap between men and women”. The Committee asks the Government to provide the documentation prepared by the Ministry for Women and other State bodies on the wage gap recognized in the Plan and on its causes and extent, as well as on the mechanisms to reduce the wage gap that the Plan proposes to apply during the period 2004–09, together with indications on the effect given to these mechanisms in practice.

Legislative reforms. Article 24 of the ILO Constitution. Follow up to the recommendations of document GB.256/15/16. In the above-noted document, it was recommended that the Government should not establish differences on grounds of sex between the benefits paid by employers to men and women workers who adopt children. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report, the Act for the protection of families, maternity and paternity, published in September 2007, establishes equal protection for fathers and mothers, security of employment for the father, whether he is a natural or adoptive parent, and paternity leave, among other measures. The Committee asks the Government to indicate whether other differentiated benefits paid by employers to men and women workers who adopt children are still in force.

Equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. With reference to paragraph 4 of its previous direct request, the Committee urges the Government, when reforming the labour legislation to which it referred, to ensure the inclusion of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value and to provide information in this respect.

In general, the Committee asks the Government to provide more information on the application of the Convention in practice.