Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2022, published 111st ILC session (2023)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Saint Kitts and Nevis (Ratification: 2000)

Article 2 of the Convention. Equality between men and women.The Committee notes that, despite the launch in 2018 of a project to develop a National Gender Equality Policy and Action Plan, this document is still in draft form although consultations were held with private and public stakeholders in 2020 and 2021. The Committee notes, from the “working draft 2021” attached to the Government’s report, that two of the “policy domains” (or strategic axes) of the document are “Decent work and inclusive economic growth” and “Special groups for gender mainstreaming” which include youth, older people, persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ people, and migrants. The Committee firmly hopes that the National Gender Equality Policy and Action Plan will be adopted soon and asks the Government to provide a copy once adopted.

Discrimination based on HIV status. In reply to its request for information on the results achieved through the implementation of the National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS and Other Chronic Diseases 2011, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that six local companies (public and private) and four international corporations included HIV workplace policies as part of their workplace operational procedures. The Government however did not indicate if a review of the policy had been carried out in accordance with its section 12 (which provides that it should be reviewed at least every five years for changes and improvements which may be needed as a result of new medical developments, new policies relating to HIV and AIDS and other chronic diseases, and new legislation). The Committee asks the Government to indicate if any review of the National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS and Other Chronic Diseases 2011 has been carried out or is foreseen in the near future.

General observation of 2018. The Committee takes note of the information provided in reply to its previous comment regarding its 2018 general observation on discrimination based on race, colour and national extraction.

Enforcement and statistics. In its previous comment, the Committee urged the Government to act with a view: (1) to promoting equality in employment and occupation in the private and public sectors; (2) to providing information on the progress made towards the implementation of the Labour Market Information System (LMIS); and (3) to providing the results of the latest Labour Force Survey and statistical data on employment and occupation, disaggregated by sex. The Committee notes the statistical information provided by the Government in its 2019 report on the national-level review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995 (Beijing+25 national report, Appendix 5), as well as in the report submitted in February 2020 to the United Nations Committee on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) (CEDAW/C/KNA/5-9, 27 July 2020, page 28). This data shows gendered employment patterns in employment sectors, with male-dominated sectors such as fishing (100 per cent male), construction (88 per cent) and agriculture, hunting and forestry (78 per cent); and female-dominated sectors such as financial intermediation, health and social work, and employment in private household (around 70 per cent female for each). It also shows that there has been no change in these patterns between 2010 and 2017. The Committee also notes the indication, in the 2021 draft National Gender Equality Policy and Action Plan that women tend to be employed in the lowest paid occupations; have lower labour force participation rates than men and higher unemployment rates, with many women working part-time (less than 35 hours per week). The Committee notes the repeated assertions by the Government in its report, as well as in several reports to other international monitoring mechanisms (Beijing+25, CEDAW), that data collection presents serious challenges as statistics are not always available or not available in the required format (i.e. disaggregated by sex). In that respect, it takes note of the Memorandum of understanding signed on 5 February 2019 between the Department of Labour, the Department of Statistics (Ministry of Sustainable Development), the Ministry of National Security and the Social Security Board with a view to implementing the LMIS. Finally, the Committee notes the Government’s commitment to taking vigorous steps to promote equality in employment and occupation in the private and public sectors, including awareness-raising activities for employers, workers and their organizations, and to providing information on the activities carried out in the next reporting cycle. The Committeeasks the Government to provide information on the progress made in the implementation of the LMIS and statistical data on employment and occupation, disaggregated by sex. It furtherurges the Government to report on the specific activities carried out to promote equality in employment and occupation in the private and public sectors.