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

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Slovakia (Ratification: 1993)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Measures to address the gender wage gap and promote equal remuneration. The Committee welcomes the Government’s indication that in 2013, the hourly gender wage gap decreased to 17.9 per cent (21.5 per cent in 2012) and was 19.2 per cent in the private sector and 11 per cent in the public sector. The Committee also welcomes the following measures taken to reduce the gender wage gap: the promotion of the principle of equal remuneration among employers, the exchange of best practices across the European Union and the involvement of the social partners, the introduction of gender audits in the workplace and gender training and certification audits, and the design of a labour inspection methodology to enable labour inspectors to monitor compliance with the principle of equal remuneration. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that a large information and mass-media campaign addressing wage gaps between men and women and lower salaries of women in general, took place in 2014. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide statistical information, disaggregated by sex, concerning wage differentials in different economic sectors (public and private) and information on the results achieved by the measures taken to reduce the gender pay gap. The Government is also asked to provide information on the gender and certification audits, including on their results as they relate to reducing wage differentials.

Collective agreements. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the Higher-Level Collective Agreement for the Public Sector was concluded for 2014. The Committee once again asks the Government to provide summaries of the provisions of the higher-degree collective agreement in the public sector, and any other collective agreement, that are relevant to wages determination and equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation. Public sector. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that catalogues of occupational activities in the public sector had been established, setting a baseline for differential treatment according to the following criteria: demands of vocational preparation and experience, complexity and responsibility, as well as physical and mental demands of particular occupational activities. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the manner in which these occupational catalogues have been established and how it is ensured that that jobs predominantly held by women are not undervalued in comparison with jobs that are predominantly held by men. The Committee reiterates its request for statistical data on the distribution of women and men in each salary class in the public service.

Enforcement. The Committee notes with interest that in 2013, further to instructions given by the National Labour Inspectorate, the regional labour inspectorates carried out two nationwide systematic inspections aimed at monitoring compliance with equal wage for men and women for work of equal value, and that a specific methodology is being developed to assist labour inspectors to address equal pay. The Committee further notes that as a result of these inspections, 44 violations of the Labour Code were registered with respect to equal pay and the labour inspectorates received 39 complaints for wage discrimination in 2013, an increased number of complaints in comparison to 2012. The Government indicates that this confirms a rising awareness of this issue among citizens. The Committee asks the Government to continue to take steps to ensure that systematic monitoring of equal remuneration provisions is carried out and to provide information on the violations detected and the complaints received by labour inspectors, including details on their outcomes (adjustments made, warnings or sanctions applied, etc.). The Committee also asks the Government to provide further details regarding the methodology for labour inspectors to address equal pay.