Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Iceland (Ratification: 1958)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Gender pay gap. The Committee notes that, according to Statistics Iceland, the unadjusted gender pay gap stood at 18.1 per cent in 2012 (18.5 per cent in the private sector and 16.2 per cent in the public sector). Women’s total monthly pay (average) was 425,000 Icelandic krona (ISK), while the total monthly pay for men (average) was ISK548,000 in the same year. The Committee notes that the Government acknowledges in its report that traditional assumptions regarding the abilities of men and women or their suitability for certain roles, as well as a gender-segregated labour market, are some of the underlying causes of the gender pay gap and must therefore be taken into consideration in the context of measures adopted to address wage disparities between men and women. In this regard, the Government adopted a four-year Plan of Action on Gender Equality Regarding Wages in October 2012. The plan, which aims at reducing gender-based wage differentials “considerably” by the end of 2016, sets out measures targeting both the public and private sectors, including awareness-raising initiatives concerning the reconciliation of work and family responsibilities and wage equality issues in general, as well as initiatives to address gender segregation in education and vocational training. The Plan also provides for the establishment of a task force to function as the forum for collaboration between the Government and the social partners on equal pay issues. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the Plan of Action on Gender Equality Regarding Wages, including on the concrete measures adopted and the results achieved in reducing the gender pay gap. Please also continue to provide updated statistical information on the remuneration of men and women by sector and occupation.

Work of equal value. Scope of comparison. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that section 19 of the Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men No. 10/2008 providing that men and women working for the same employer are entitled to equal wages and equal terms of employment for the same jobs or jobs of equal value, did not give full effect to the principle of the Convention. The Government indicates that a Bill amending Act No. 10/2008 was to be submitted to Parliament for consideration by the end of 2013. According to the Government, the aim of the Bill is to fully implement Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006, which establishes, inter alia, that “in certain circumstances, the principle of equal pay is not limited to situations in which men and women work for the same employer” (paragraph 10). The Committee asks the Government to provide information including in the context of the revision of Act No. 10/2008 and within the framework of the Plan of Action 2012–16, on the measures taken to ensure that the principle of the Convention can be applied beyond the same employer, where no comparator is available within the enterprise, particularly in cases where enterprises predominantly employ women.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation. While the Government’s report contains no information on this matter, the Committee notes from the Plan of Action on Gender Equality Regarding Wages that municipalities using job evaluation in wage determination, including the city of Reykjavik, have considered that the method has produced “good results, particularly as regards securing gender equality in wages”. The Committee also notes that the Plan of Action encourages studies on the job evaluations conducted by municipalities in order to assess whether jobs traditionally performed by women are undervalued in relation to jobs of equal value performed by men, the findings of which should provide guidance for the development of special measures to address discrepancies in wage rates. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any studies carried out in the context of the Plan of Action on Gender Equality Regarding Wages, or the previous Gender Equality Action Programme 2011–14, to assess the impact of job evaluation exercises in reducing the gender pay gap, including on their findings and any follow-up measures taken as a result thereof.

Article 4. Cooperation with employers’ and workers’ organization. The Committee notes the adoption by the Ministry of Welfare and the social partners, in December 2012, of the “wage equality standard”, which constitutes a requirement for the certification on equal pay. According to the Government, the standard provides guidance on the establishment of measures at the enterprise level to prevent and address gender-based wage discrimination. Enterprises and organizations that consider that they have implemented the standard in a satisfactory manner may subsequently seek formal confirmation of this compliance from authorized certification institutions. The Government also indicates that since the first half of 2013, a consultative group has been working on the definition of the requirements to be fulfilled by certification bodies. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the “wage equality standard” and the certification system on equal pay, including on any developments concerning the regulation of certification bodies. Please provide information on any collective agreements promoting the principle of the Convention.

Enforcement. The Committee notes that the Government indicates that between January 2012 and June 2013, 13 cases were lodged with the Gender Equality Complaints Committee, three of which concerned wages. During this period, the Complaints Committee found a violation of Act No. 10/2008 in only one of the cases. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide any decisions or rulings related to the principle of the Convention by the courts or the Gender Equality Complaints Committee pursuant to section 6 of Act No. 10/2008. It also asks the Government to provide information on any awareness raising activities for workers and employers specifically on the principle of the Convention, and the impact thereof.