Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Angola (Ratification: 1976)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report continues to fail to respond to its previous comments. The Committee is therefore obliged to reiterate them, while addressing additional issues.

Article 1 of the Convention.  Scope of application. The Committee recalls the Government’s statement that the categories excluded from the application of the General Labour Act No. 2/00 (section 1(2) and (3)) are covered by separate laws. Please provide copies of the relevant laws, as well as any information on the manner in which the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value is applied to these categories of workers, especially civil servants, casual workers and homeworkers.

Article 2. Practical application of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value. The Committee refers to its previous comments concerning the occupational segregation of women in the Angolan labour market. It notes from the Government’s report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) of 2008 that women continue to hold lower level positions because of their limited access to education and the high level of discrimination against them. According to data supplied by the Government, men hold 66 per cent of mid-ranking technical and professional posts in the civil service and 72 per cent of senior posts (E/C.12/AGO/3, 20 April 2008, paragraph 17).

The Committee also recalls that, according to the communication from the National Union of Angolan Workers (UNTA) of 16 August 2007, women continue to receive low wages, particularly in the private sector, because of their low level of schooling. The Committee notes that the Agreement on Children in Angola of 2007 between the Government, the United Nations and the social partners aims, among other things, at reducing by 80 per cent the gender imbalance in school enrolment rates by 2015. The Committee stresses that occupational segregation of women into lower paying jobs or occupations and lower level positions without promotion opportunities is one of the main causes of pay differentials between men and women. It also emphasizes that the promotion of women’s access to education and training is crucial in addressing disparities in remuneration. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to address the occupational segregation of women in both the public and the private sectors and to promote their access to better paid and higher status jobs and managerial positions, including through the promotion of greater access of women to education and training.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation. Referring to its previous comments concerning the application of section 164(2) and (3) of the General Labour Act, the Committee reiterates its request to the Government to provide information regarding the methods of job evaluation used to determine rates of remuneration in the public and private sectors. Noting the adoption of Decree No. 30/08 of 2 May 2008 updating the minimum wage for major economic categories, the Committee asks the Government to indicate how it is ensured that minimum wage rates fixed for female-dominated occupations or sectors are not set below the level of rates applying to male-dominated occupations involving work of equal value.

Article 4. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the National Commission for Social Dialogue and the National Committee for the ILO provide a framework for cooperation with the social partners. It also recalls the communication received from the UNTA according to which the National Employment Commission organizes consultations with the various social partners only on an ad hoc basis. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the composition and mandates of the National Commission for Social Dialogue and the National Committee for the ILO, as well as information on any initiatives undertaken by these bodies and the National Employment Commission with a view to promoting the principle of the Convention and eliminating wage disparities between men and women.

Part III of the report form. Labour inspection. The Committee notes from the Government’s abovementioned ICESCR report that controls by the General Labour Inspectorate on companies’ compliance with the principle of equal remuneration are inadequate and that this leads to violations of the principle in some public and private companies (ibid., paragraph 24). The Committee asks the Government to take appropriate measures to strengthen the capacity of labour inspectors to detect and address cases of violation of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value, including through tailored training, and to supply information in this regard. Please also provide information on any violations detected by the labour inspection services relating to the application of the Convention, as well as on the remedies provided or the sanctions imposed.

Part V of the report form. Statistics. In the absence of the information solicited in its previous direct request, the Committee again asks the Government to do its utmost to provide any available information on the earnings of men and women, disaggregated by sector and category of employment, in the public and private sectors.