Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2008, published 98th ILC session (2009)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Trinidad and Tobago (Ratification: 1997)

Assessment of the gender pay gap. The Committee notes from the statistical data provided by the Government that in 2007 women earned 80.3 per cent of men’s monthly income (average and median), which amounts to a gender pay gap of 19.7 per cent. It is concerned that this gap was considerably higher than in 2006, where it was 14.8 per cent (2005 – 15.8 per cent; 2004 – 16.4 per cent). In 2007, the gender wage gap was highest in the occupational group of service and sales workers (47 per cent) and legislators, senior officials and managers (39.4 per cent). The Committee asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to address the apparently widening gender pay gap. It also asks the Government to continue to provide detailed statistical information on the earnings of men and women according to occupational group and industry, as well as on an hourly basis, if possible.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Legislation. The Committee recalls its previous comments concerning the Equal Opportunity Act, 2000, which prohibits discrimination in employment, including in respect of remuneration. However, the Act contains no specific provisions regarding equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. Recalling its previous comments on this matter, as well as its 2006  general observation, the Committee asks the Government to provide information on any measures taken to give full legislative expression to the Convention’s principle.

Collective agreements. The Committee previously asked the Government to provide information on the progress made in removing sex discriminatory provisions from collective agreements. Noting that the Government has not yet replied to this request, the Committee asks the Government to provide this information in its next report. It also asks the Government to provide the report of the Joint Working Party on Reclassification regarding all the jobs in the bargaining unit represented by the National Union of Government and Federated Workers, which has still not been received by the ILO.

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