Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2012, published 102nd ILC session (2013)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Finland (Ratification: 1963)

The Committee notes the observations by the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the Confederation of Unions for Professionals and Managerial Staff in Finland (AKAVA), the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (STTK), and the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) attached to the Government’s report.

Article 3 of the Convention. Objective job evaluation. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the analyses established by the research project “Equal pay, equality and new pay systems” (SATU), which was completed at the end of 2010, showed that the introduction of a new pay system provided only limited opportunities for reducing the gender pay gap; while the new pay systems have most clearly narrowed the gender pay gap among employees who earn the highest wages or who work in the highest positions, no similar narrowing is yet to appear among the employees who earn lower wages or who work in lower level positions; the impact of the introduction of the new pay system is more prominent within the public and municipal sectors than in the private sector. The Committee also notes the Government’s indication that the project “Effectiveness of evaluating the demands of work, employee competencies and personal performance in Finland” (TAPAS), the main focus of which is to develop pay systems within the organizations, will continue until the end of 2011, and that this project is being carried out through workshops organized by 18 organizations; a practical guidebook “Equality for pay” was to be compiled in the autumn of 2011. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any follow-up activities or research concerning the findings by the SATU research project, as well as on the results achieved by the TAPAS project. Please also provide information on the contents of the practical guidebook “Equality for pay” under the TAPAS project, and on its dissemination and impact.

With respect to the public sector, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the public sector as a whole has adopted new pay systems, while the municipal sector has agreed to gradually introduce the systems; the capacity and resource availability of each municipality has impacted on each pay system reform. The Committee asks the Government to provide detailed information on the implementation and impact of competence and performance-based pay systems, as well as the progress made in the municipal sector, as well as relevant statistical information.

Scope of comparison. The Committee recalls its previous comments noting that, according to survey results, only 17 per cent of the workplaces had conducted comparison of wages of men and women across the boundaries set by collective agreements. It notes the Government’s indication that the Parliament’s Employment and Equality Committee is of the view that an amendment should be made to the Equality Act (Act on Equality between Men and Women (609/1986)) to oblige comparisons across the boundaries set by collective agreements, and that the Act should state more clearly that the definition of remuneration includes various additional forms of payment. In this connection, the Committee notes that the EK indicates that in practice it is impossible to compare the value of jobs across different workplaces or different collective agreements. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any follow-up action, with the cooperation of the social partners, to the Parliament’s Employment and Equality Committee’s recommendation, with a view to enabling a broader scope of comparison in the context of determining whether there has been compliance with the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, particularly where women are more heavily concentrated in certain sectors.

Collective agreements. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, pursuant to the collective agreement for governmental employees for 2010–12, it was agreed that the equal pay allowance would be added to a specific target sector in the amount of 0.20 per cent starting from 1 May 2011, aimed at pay equality; for example in 2010, the target was sectors predominantly occupied by women requiring highly educated workers. It also notes the Government’s indication that according to a survey on the impact of collective bargaining on the gender pay gap in 2007–10, the gender pay gap throughout the labour market was reduced by 1 per cent. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on the equal pay allowance in the public service, the use of collective agreements to promote equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, and on the impact of the sectoral collective bargaining system on differences in pay between men and women.

Parts III and IV of the report form. Enforcement. The Committee notes that the STTK indicates that due to insufficient resources, efficient and systematic law enforcement in the area of equality in employment is hampered. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any steps taken to improve enforcement in the area of equality in employment. The Committee also asks the Government to continue to supply information on the number, nature and outcome of cases concerning equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value decided by the competent administrative authorities and the courts.