Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Gabon (Ratification: 1961)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments.

Repetition

Article 1(1) of the Convention. Definition of discrimination. Legislation. The Committee welcomes the inclusion in the draft new Labour Code of a definition of the concept of “discrimination” that is identical to that of the Convention. The Committee hopes that the draft text of the new Labour Code will soon be adopted and promulgated and requests the Government to provide information on the progress achieved in this respect. It also requests the Government to take the necessary measures to disseminate these new provisions, once they have been adopted, to employers, workers and their respective organizations and to those responsible for the enforcement of the legislation and to provide a copy of the text.

Articles 1(1)(a) and 3. Discrimination on the basis of sex. Legislation. Further to its previous comment concerning the lack of conformity of certain provisions of the Civil Code that are in force (sections 253, 254 and 261) with the provisions of the Convention, the Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that the Civil Code is still under revision and that the Committee’s comments will be examined. The Committee recalls that laws governing personal and family relations which do not yet provide for equal rights of men and women also continue to have an impact on the enjoyment of equality with respect to work and employment (2012 General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, paragraph 787). The Committee once again urges the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the provisions of the Civil Code that have a discriminatory impact on women’s employment, namely sections 253, 254 and 261, are repealed and to provide a copy of the new Civil Code once it has been adopted and promulgated.

With regard to night work by women, as regulated by sections 167 and 169 of the Labour Code, the Committee notes that, in the draft new Labour Code, the provisions prohibiting night work by women in general have been removed, and that the protection measures only concern pregnant women, which is not incompatible with the Convention, insofar as they are strictly limited to the protection of maternity and not based on stereotypes concerning their capacities and role in society. While welcoming the withdrawal of the provisions prohibiting the principle of night work of women in the draft Labour Code, the Committee requests the Government to examine the possibility of the adoption in parallel of accompanying measures to assure the safety of workers, both men and women, during night work and measures for the development of adequate means of transport.

Article 2. Equality of opportunity and treatment of men and women in employment and occupation. Constitution. The Committee welcomes Act No. 001/2018 of 12 January 2018 revising the Constitution of the Republic of Gabon, which amends several articles of the Constitution in support of gender equality, principally in relation to elections, and provides that “the State shall promote equal access by women and men to electoral office and to political and professional responsibilities” (article 24). Welcoming the will of the Government to promote gender equality at the highest level, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the implementation of article 24 of the Constitution, which promotes the equal access of women and men to professional responsibilities, as well as equal access to political responsibilities, in law and practice, and on any specific measures adopted for this purpose.

National policy on equality. The Committee previously requested the Government to adopt measures to: (1) take effective action to combat stereotypes regarding women’s aspirations, preferences and occupational capacities; and (2) resolve the difficulties faced by women in gaining access to resources and means of production, and particularly credit and land, and to encourage women’s entrepreneurship. The Committee notes that the Government refers once again to the creation of a platform wholly dedicated to women entrepreneurs, the “Women’s Business Centre”, in order to provide support to women wishing to start up their own enterprises. The Committee also notes the Government’s indication that it has introduced a Women’s Day on 17 April each year and that it has decreed that 2015–25 shall be the Decade of the Women of Gabon. According to the information provided by the Government in its 2020 report to UNESCO on the application of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, ratified in 2007, the objective of the Decade of the Women of Gabon is the autonomy of women, and the expected results are training, improvement and the deep-rooted transformation of the condition of women at all levels (legal, political, economic and social). The Government adds in the report that the National Advisory Commission of the Decade of the Women of Gabon has been created in this context and that it is engaged in the collection of data on the ground throughout the national territory with a view to improving understanding of the situation of women. The Committee notes these initiatives and requests the Government to provide the results of the national data collection exercise on the condition of the women of Gabon undertaken by the National Advisory Commission of the Decade of the Women of Gabon. It also requests the Government to provide information on: (i) the measures adopted or envisaged to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women, including in relation to employment and occupation; and (ii) information (including statistics) on the activities of the platform for women entrepreneurs since its establishment. In the absence of a response on the following points raised in its previous comments, the Committee reiterates its request concerning the measures adopted to: (i) combat effectively stereotypes regarding women’s aspirations, preferences and professional capacities and their role in society and to enable them to gain access to a broader range of jobs and occupations (through vocational guidance and training free from gender bias); and (ii) resolve the difficulties faced by women in gaining access to resources and means of production, and particularly credit and land. The Government is also requested to provide information on the activities of the Ministry of Equality of Opportunity in relation to the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment for men and women in employment and occupation.

Promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment without distinction on grounds other than sex. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to formulate and implement a national policy on equality of opportunity and treatment without distinction on grounds of race, colour, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that since 2016 it has been developing its policy of equality of opportunity and that many seminars have been organized since then to reinforce capacities to combat more effectively undue privilege and social inequality. In this regard, the Committee recalls that the primary obligation of ratifying States is to declare and pursue a national policy designed to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation with a view to eliminating any discrimination in this respect. It also wishes to emphasize that the implementation of a national equality policy in relation to employment and occupation presupposes the adoption of a range of specific measures, which generally consist of a combination of legislative and administrative measures, collective agreements, public policies, affirmative action measures, dispute resolution and enforcement mechanisms, specialized bodies, practical programmes and awareness-raising (2012 General Survey, paragraphs 841 and 848). In light of the above, the Committee urges the Government to indicate any obstacles encountered in completing the formulation of a policy of equality of opportunity, which it indicates that it has been developing since 2016. It also requests the Government to indicate whether it is planned that the national equality policy will also cover the other grounds of discrimination prohibited by the Convention, with an indication of the specific strategies and measures envisaged or adopted with a view to: (i) combating all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, political opinion, national extraction and social origin; (ii) promoting equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation; and (iii) monitoring and evaluating regularly the results achieved as a basis for reviewing and adapting existing measures and strategies, where necessary.

Articles 2, 3(d) and 5. Equality of opportunity for men and women in the public service. Special affirmative measures. Quotas. With reference to the under-representation of women at the higher categories (A1 and A2) of the public service, the Committee notes with interest the adoption of Act No. 09/2016 of 5 September 2016 establishing quotas in favour of women and young persons, and particularly a quota under which 30 per cent of higher level State positions are reserved for women. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken in practice for the implementation of this quota and to provide statistical data on personnel in the public service disaggregated by gender and category, with a view to measuring the impact of this measure on the representation of women in the higher categories of the public service. In the absence of information on this point, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide the conclusions of the audit of the public service carried out in 2016.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.