Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2004, published 93rd ILC session (2005)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Zambia (Ratification: 1972)

1. Article 2 of the Convention. Application in practice in the private sector. The Committee notes the comments made by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) of 23 October 2002 stating that women are disadvantaged in terms of remuneration and that de facto inequalities exist with regard to access to credit facilities which require husbands to co-sign for their wives’ credit applications. Noting the absence of a reply by the Government on these matters, the Committee asks the Government to provide this information in its next report.

2. The Committee notes with some regret that the Government’s report repeats word for word the information provided by the Government in its previous report. The Committee, therefore, must repeat its previous comments which read in the relevant parts as follows:

Article 2. Application of the principle by collective agreements. The Committee asks the Government to continue transmitting the texts of collective agreements covering the various sectors and to supply a copy of the collective agreement from the National Pension Scheme Authority, which it referred to as being attached to its report, but which was not received by the Office […].

Part V of the report form. Practical application. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that various policies in the fields of education and vocational training have been adopted to promote the employment of women workers in occupations typically dominated by men, such as engineering, motor mechanics, electronic and civil engineering. The Committee therefore once again asks the Government to provide in its next report more detailed information on the specific measures adopted to promote women’s access to vocational training, guidance and counselling and in addition to provide information on any measures that have been taken to promote women workers into decision-making and supervisory positions generally.

Part V of the report form. Statistics. The Committee reiterates its request to the Government to keep it informed of any developments respecting the establishment of a labour market information system and to provide any available documentation in this respect. The Committee also reiterates its request for the Government to provide statistical information in its next report, if available, on the average wages in the different sectors of the economy, including the mining industry, disaggregated by sex and by occupational category. In this regard, the Committee refers the Government to the general observation of 1998 on this Convention.

The Committee trusts that the Government will make every effort to provide the information requested with its next report.