Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Italy (Ratification: 1956)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Gender pay gap. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the National Equality Counsellor has produced a small guide on equal pay for men and women with a view to disseminating basic information about gender discrimination in remuneration and providing guidance on the authorities mandated to receive complaints in this regard. The Committee however notes that the guide does not refer to the concept of “work of equal value”; nor does it mention the need for objective job evaluation methods, free from gender bias, that allow the relative value of different jobs to be measured and compared. The Committee recalls that the Government previously indicated that the Charter for Equal Opportunities was being implemented in public administrations and private enterprises. The Committee requests the Government to take proactive measures to raise awareness of and promote the application of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value and to provide information on the impact of these measures on the reduction of the gender pay gap. In the absence of any additional information, as requested, on these points, the Committee once again asks the Government to provide the following:

(i) information on the impact of the implementation of the Charter for Equal Opportunities and of the activities carried out by the National Equality Counsellor on the application of the principle of the Convention;

(ii) statistics disaggregated by sex on the distribution of men and women in the different sectors and occupations and their corresponding earnings, including in higher level occupations, in the public and private sectors; and

(iii) information on any measures adopted with the aim of collecting and processing statistical data on gender wage differentials, pursuant to section 46 of Act No. 183/2010.

Occupational gender segregation. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government concerning the Inter-ministerial Decree of 13 October 2015 establishing incentives for the recruitment of men and women in the sectors and occupations where they are under-represented. The Committee notes from the statistical information annexed to the Decree that women continue to be under-represented in jobs and occupations traditionally dominated by men, such as engineers, architects, specialists in mathematical, physical, chemical and information sciences, administrators of companies and entrepreneurs, among others. The Committee further notes the concerns expressed in 2017 by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women about the concentration of women in traditionally female-dominated fields of study and career paths, the continuing horizontal and vertical occupational segregation and the concentration of women in part-time and low-paid jobs (CEDAW/C/ITA/CO/7, 24 July 2017, paragraphs 35 and 37). The Committee notes that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 10 February 2016 between the National Equality Counsellor and the Department of Equal Opportunities of the Prime Minister’s Office with a view to ensuring coordination between their respective actions to promote gender equality, particularly with regard to access to employment and career advancement, combating gender stereotypes and balancing work and family life. Recalling that some of the underlying causes of pay inequality have been identified in the horizontal and vertical occupational segregation of women into lower paying jobs or occupations and lower level positions, the Committee asks the Government to provide information on the impact on reducing the gender pay gap of the implementation of the Inter-ministerial Decree of 13 October 2015 and the measures directed at promoting gender equality adopted by the National Equality Counsellor and the Department of Equal Opportunities of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Public administration. The Committee notes the three-year plans for affirmative action adopted by local public administrations, which were submitted along with the Government’s report. It notes in particular that these plans include a number of measures directed at: ensuring equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women in access to and retention of employment; reconciling work obligations and family responsibilities; raising awareness about gender equality at the workplace; and overcoming gender stereotypes. The Committee also notes that none of the plans include specific measures aimed at identifying and tackling differentials in remuneration between men and women. The Committee asks the Government to indicate the specific measures adopted to ensure the application of the principle of the Convention in the public administration and to report on their impact on reducing the gender pay gap.

Article 3. Objective job evaluation. With reference to its previous comments on the requirement for objective job evaluation under the Convention, the Committee once again asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of section 28(2) of Legislative Decree No. 5/2010, under which “systems of job classification determining remuneration shall adopt common criteria for men and women and be developed with a view to eliminating discrimination”. The Committee also reiterates its request to the Government to provide information on any action taken or envisaged to promote, in cooperation with the social partners, the development and use of objective job evaluation methods in both the private and the public sectors.

Enforcement. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the labour inspectorate is not in a position to provide information specifically concerning violations of the principle of the Convention. The Committee asks the Government to enhance the capacity of labour inspectors as well as other competent authorities to identify and address cases of violation of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value and to report on them, including the remedies provided and the sanctions imposed. The Committee reiterates its request to the Government to supply information on the impact on reducing pay differentials between men and women of the application of anti-discrimination legislation, such as Legislative Decree No. 5/2010 and Act No. 183/2010. The Government is also requested to provide specific information on the activities of the “Single Committee to Guarantee equal opportunities in the achievement of the well-being of workers and the prevention of discrimination” (CUG) with respect to the implementation of the Convention, as this information was not provided with the report.