Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - New Caledonia

Gender wage gap. The Committee welcomes the publication of detailed data (2011) on gender-influenced wages in the “Focus on women” study, published in 2013 on the website of the Employment, Qualifications, Wages and Training Observatory at the Skills Development Institute of New Caledonia. According to this study, the average wage for women is virtually identical to that of men but wage differentials still exist when account is taken of the sector of activity, size of the enterprise, age or level of training. The Committee notes in particular that the average wages of women are lower than those of men in the sectors of activity and occupational categories where women predominate. Moreover, women’s average wages are lower than those of men from the baccalaureate level upwards and the wage gap increases with the level of qualification (from 11 to 19 per cent). The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures contemplated to remedy the wage inequalities observed and to promote effectively the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value in the public and private sectors, and to provide information on the results achieved.

Article 3 of the Convention. Objective job evaluation. The Committee again requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or contemplated to encourage objective job evaluation on the basis of the work involved, so as to facilitate the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value.

Enforcement. Labour inspection. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that the labour inspectorate has no information on the application of section Lp. 141-1 of the Labour Code of New Caledonia, which establishes the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the manner in which labour inspectors enforce the labour legislation as it relates to equal remuneration for men and women and on any preventive and advisory activities carried out by the labour inspectorate among workers, employers and their organizations.