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

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Guinea (Ratification: 1960)

Legislative developments. The Committee notes that the draft Labour Code is awaiting submission to the future National Assembly for adoption. The Committee trusts that the new Labour Code will contain provisions prohibiting direct or indirect discrimination, with respect to all workers, on the basis of at least all the prohibited grounds of discrimination listed in Article 1(1)(a) of the Convention, at all stages of employment and occupation, and requests the Government to provide information on the provisions adopted in this respect.

Article 1 of the Convention. Restrictions on employment for women. The Committee notes that the current Labour Code contains provisions the purpose of which is to restrict women’s access to certain types of work (sections 148 and 186). As regards protection measures relating to women, the Committee would remind the Government that, in order to be compatible with the principle of equality, any protection measure applicable to women’s employment must be strictly limited to maternity protection. Moreover, the objective of provisions relating to the protection of persons working under dangerous or difficult conditions should be to protect the health and safety of both men and women at work, while taking account of gender differences as regards specific risks to health. The Committee therefore hopes that the provisions of the new Labour Code concerning women’s employment will be in conformity with the principle of gender equality and that protection measures regarding women will be limited to maternity protection, and requests the Government to supply information on any legislative or regulatory measure specifically concerning employment for women.

Equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women in employment and occupation. The Committee welcomes the statistical information communicated by the Government and notes that in 2012 women represent 27.88 per cent of total staff in the public service and only 16.29 per cent of the highest (category A) managerial posts are occupied by women. It also notes that, according to the study entitled “Poverty and inequalities in Guinea from 1994 to 2012”, published in July 2012 by the National Institute for Statistics, discrimination suffered by women in the labour market results in households headed by women being more vulnerable to poverty. The Committee also notes that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), in its concluding observations, expressed concern at the high unemployment rate among women, particularly due to downsizing in the civil service, at occupational segregation and the concentration of women in low-paid and unskilled jobs, and at the over-representation of women in the non-structured sector, which does not provide any social protection (CEDAW/C/GIN/CO/6, 10 August 2007, paragraph 36). The Government indicates that the country has adopted a national policy framework document for the promotion of employment for development and poverty reduction, combined with an action plan, which aims in particular to improve access to employment for women, that a “gender and equity” division has been created within the Ministry of Social Affairs and that “gender and equity” units have been established in all ministerial departments. Moreover, the poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) 2011–12, which was recently adopted, establishes areas for priority action with a view to promoting equality for men and women and promoting the gender dimension in employment, and provides in particular for strengthening existing legislative and institutional frameworks in order to promote gender equality and boost women’s financial independence (micro-credit). Finally, the Committee notes that a national gender policy was formulated in 2011. Noting the Government’s efforts to adopt a strategic action framework for promoting equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women in employment and occupation, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the specific measures taken in this context and also on the results achieved. It also requests the Government to send a copy of the national gender policy or detailed information on measures aimed at promoting gender equality in employment and occupation as provided for by this policy. Please also provide any available statistical information on the representation of men and women in the public and private sectors.

Equality of opportunity and treatment between men and women in education and vocational training. The Committee notes that, according to the abovementioned study of the National Institute of Statistics, although the school enrolment rate is 57.1 per cent for girls and 61.8 per cent for boys between 7 and 12 years of age, the figure drops to 31 per cent for girls and 44.7 per cent for boys between 13 and 19 years of age. According to the study, the enrolment rate is lower for young girls, who are likely to leave the education system prematurely. Moreover, the Committee notes that the rate of illiteracy for adults (65.22 per cent) highlights a major gap between the sexes (74 per cent for women compared with 55.14 per cent for men). The Committee notes that the PRSP provides for the development of education and literacy programmes and that the Five-Year Socio Economic Development Plan 2011–15, adopted in December 2011 by the Ministry of Planning, establishes a comprehensive public literacy strategy, especially for women and girls, through the formulation of programmes and the setting of specific targets. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the implementation of the measures established by the PRSP, the Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan 2011–15 and the national gender policy aimed at improving access for girls and women to education and vocational training, especially in traditionally “male” sectors, and on the measures aimed at maintaining their attendance in school or in training institutes. The Committee also requests the Government to provide a copy of the statistical data relating to access for women and girls to general education, which are indicated as being attached to the report but which has not been received by the Office.

Articles 2 and 3. Formulation of a national equality policy on the basis of grounds other than sex. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any national policy aimed at promoting equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation in order to eliminate any discrimination on the basis of the grounds other than sex listed in Article 1(1)(a) of the Convention.