Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Hungary (Ratification: 1956)

The Committee notes the report of the Government and the attached documentation, including the comments from the workers’ organizations, members of the National ILO Council and the response of the Government. The Committee also notes the information included in the report submitted by the Government in relation to Convention No. 111.

1. The Committee notes with interest the adoption of Act XVI of 2001, which harmonizes Hungarian legislation with European Council Directive No. 75/117/EEC on the Approximation of the Laws of the Member States relating to the Application of the Principle of Equal Pay for Men and Women, and Directive No. 97/80/EC on the Burden of Proof in Cases of Discrimination Based on Sex. The Act also introduces the concept of indirect discrimination. The Committee welcomes the Government’s indication that following the adoption of this Act, the Labour Code expressly spells out the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and establishes that "labour wage shall mean every form of direct and indirect allowance in cash or in kind given to the employee on the basis of his employment relation". The Committee invites the Government to provide information on the practical implementation and enforcement of these new provisions, including information on judicial cases and labour inspection processes.

2. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that women’s earnings lagged 12.9 per cent behind men’s in comparable positions. Noting that according to the statistics included in the 2000 ILO Yearbook of Labour Statistics the average wage gap between female and male employees amounted to 20.87 per cent in 1998, the Committee asks the Government to specify the year to which the data it provided refer and to supply up-to-date statistics collected by the National Centre for Labour Research and Methodology to allow the Committee to assess the earnings gap.

3. The Committee notes that the Government has provided statistics on employment disaggregated by sex but has not supplied statistical data on the distribution of men and women in the various occupations and at the various levels in the public sector. The Committee asks the Government to provide such information as well as information on any measures taken or envisaged to reduce the remuneration gap between men and women in the public sector and any progress achieved in this regard.

4. The Committee notes Ministry of Labour (MoL) Order 6/1992 on the branch classification of employees. Noting that it provides that collective agreements may be concluded, the Committee invites the Government to provide a copy of any negotiated agreements. The Committee also asks the Government to provide more information on the National Labour Council, which has replaced the Interest Reconciliation Council.

5. The Committee notes with interest the activities conducted by the Women’s Representative Secretariat and invites the Government to continue to provide information on the Secretariat’s work relevant to the Convention. It also requests a copy of the paper on "Wage differentials of men and women in Hungary 1986-1996" published by the National Centre for Labour Research and Methodology. Moreover, please also provide information on any activities conducted by the Women’s Representation Council concerning the principle of equal pay for work of equal value.