Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

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

Application of the principle through collective agreements. The Committee recalls that wages in Barbados are usually set by collective agreement and that the collective bargaining process sometimes involves objective job evaluation exercises. In the absence of any further information on this point, the Committee asks the Government to undertake the necessary steps to collect and submit copies of relevant collective agreements, including their wage rates, in a wide range of sectors, and to provide information on collective bargaining and job evaluation exercises, specifying their effect on wage rates.

Minimum wages. The Committee notes that the only minimum wages in place are those for shop assistants and domestic workers. The Committee notes that the minimum wages for shop assistants were increased in 2004. However, referring to its comments on the application of the Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Convention, 1928 (No. 26), it also notes that the minimum wages for domestic workers have not been increased for over 20 years. The Committee wishes to draw the attention of the Government to the frequent undervaluation, due to gender stereotypes, of domestic work, leading to differences in remuneration between domestic work, mostly performed by women, and work that is of a different nature but still of equal value, but which is mostly performed by men. Considering that minimum wages are an important means of promoting the application of the Convention, the Committee asks the Government to take steps to readjust the minimum wages of domestic workers using objective job evaluation without gender bias. The Committee also asks the Government to indicate whether it has any intention of setting minimum wages for other sectors or categories of workers.

Promoting women’s participation in higher paid jobs. With respect to its previous comments on measures to promote women to higher paid posts of responsibility, the Committee notes the Government’s reply that equality of treatment exists in practice with respect to educational and training opportunities for men and women. The Committee recalls that, in Barbados, women’s level of participation in highly remunerated jobs is about half that of men. It draws the attention of the Government to the fact that, with a view to achieving equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, special temporary measures may be necessary to encourage women to enrol in a wider range of training courses, and to create the conditions enabling them to compete on an equal footing with men for high paid posts. The Committee therefore encourages the Government to take concrete measures to promote and facilitate access by women to positions offering higher levels of remuneration, and to report on the progress made in this regard.

Enforcement. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that equality of treatment is considered a fundamental principle of the industrial relations process and that, in the private sector, parties to the collective agreement refer any unresolved disputes to the Labour Department. Likewise, non-unionized workers may also file a complaint concerning unequal remuneration to the Labour Department. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the number and nature of complaints concerning unequal remuneration that have been submitted to the Labour Department by parties to collective agreements or by non-unionized workers, and the outcome of these complaints. Please also indicate any other measures taken, including by the labour inspection services, to ensure the effective application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value for both unionized and non-unionized workers.

Statistics. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Barbados Statistical Service should be able to provide statistical information on remuneration levels disaggregated by sex. Recalling the importance of such statistics for assessing the progress made in applying the Convention, the Committee trusts the Government will make every effort to supply relevant statistical data disaggregated by sex, compiled by the Barbados Statistical Service or otherwise, on the various remuneration levels, including levels of posts of responsibility in all economic sectors, including in the plantation sector.