Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Antigua and Barbuda (Ratification: 1983)

The Committee notes with concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments.

Repetition

Article 1(1)(a) of the Convention. Grounds of discrimination – National extraction and social origin. For a number of years, the Committee has been noting the absence of an explicit prohibition of discrimination on the basis of national extraction and social origin in the national Constitution and the Labour Code. The Committee has been asking the Government to ensure that workers are protected in law and in practice against direct and indirect discrimination on the basis of national extraction and social origin, in all aspects of employment and occupation, and to monitor emerging forms of discrimination that may result in or lead to discrimination in employment and occupation on the basis of these grounds, and to report in detail on the progress made. The Government indicates in its report that the process of revising the Labour Code is still ongoing and the National Labour Board is currently considering provisions aimed at defining and prohibiting direct and indirect discrimination, as well as including all grounds of discrimination, namely race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction and social origin. The Government adds that, once finalized, these proposals will be made available for public consultation. The Committee firmly hopes that the amendments to the Labour Code will be adopted in the near future and will include specific provisions ensuring and promoting the protection of workers against direct and indirect discrimination in all aspects of employment and occupation, and with respect to all the grounds of discrimination set out in Article 1(1)(a) of the Convention.

Article 2. General observation of 2018. Regarding the above issues and more generally, the Committee would like to draw the Government’s attention to its general observation on discrimination based on race, colour and national extraction adopted in 2018. In the general observation, the Committee notes with concern that discriminatory attitudes and stereotypes based on the race, colour or national extraction of men and women workers continue to hinder their participation in education, vocational training programmes and access to a wider range of employment opportunities, resulting in persisting occupational segregation and differences in remuneration for work of equal value. Furthermore, the Committee considers that it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive and coordinated approach to tackling the obstacles and barriers faced by persons in employment and occupation because of their race, colour or national extraction, and to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for all. Such an approach should include the adoption of interlocking measures aimed at addressing gaps in education, training and skills, providing unbiased vocational guidance, recognizing and validating the qualifications obtained abroad, and valuing and recognizing traditional knowledge and skills that may be relevant both to accessing and advancing in employment and to engaging in an occupation. The Committee also recalls that, in order to be effective, these measures must include concrete steps, such as laws, policies, programmes, mechanisms and participatory processes, and remedies designed to address prejudices and stereotypes and to promote mutual understanding and tolerance among all sections of the population. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to its general observation of 2018 and requests the Government to provide information in response to the questions raised in that observation.

Equality for men and women. Access to education, vocational training and employment. In its previous comments, the Committee urged the Government to take concrete steps to collect, analyse and provide statistical information, disaggregated by sex, on the participation of men and women in education and the various vocational training courses offered, as well as statistics on the number of men and women who have filled vacancies following such training, including for jobs traditionally held by the other sex. The Committee also urged the Government to provide detailed information on recent initiatives to promote women’s participation in courses and jobs traditionally held by men, including up-to-date information on the courses offered by the Gender Affairs Department and the Ministry of Education, as well as the Institute of Continuing Education. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that a comparative analysis was done on the participation of men and women in various vocational training courses in institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education (ABICE), the Antigua State College (ASC), the Directorate of Gender Affairs, the Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute (ABHTI), the Department of Youth Affairs (DYA) and the Gilbert Agricultural Rural Development (GARD) Centre. The Government states that statistics indicate that there is still a striking disparity in the participation of women in professions traditionally occupied by men. However, women are slowly participating to a greater extent in technical and skilled occupations. It is envisaged that the institutions mentioned above will endeavour to engage in strategic planning that will encourage more women to access training so as to enter technical professions which are traditionally occupied by male workers. Currently, most institutions are actively involved in open-day activities geared towards attracting persons to the programmes provided and in spending time in counselling persons to access the training that best suits them. However, the Government states that there is little initiative specifically designed to encourage women to participate in areas traditionally dominated by men. The Committee notes that in its 2019 concluding observations, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) recommended adopting effective measures to combat horizontal and vertical occupational segregation in both the public and private sectors, including through professional training and incentives for women to work in traditionally male-dominated fields of employment (CEDAW/C/ATG/CO/4-7, 14 March 2019, paragraphs 36(a) and 37(a)). The Committee asks the Government to provide statistics, disaggregated by sex, on the participation of men and women in education at all stages and the various vocational training courses offered, as well as on the number of men and women who have filled vacancies following such training, including for jobs traditionally held by the other sex. The Committee hopes that the Government will be in a position to provide information in its next report on the manner in which it promotes women’s participation in courses and jobs traditionally held by men.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

The Committee expects that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.