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

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Mauritius (Ratification: 2002)

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Article 2 of the Convention. Determination of minimum wages. Remuneration Regulations. Further to its previous comments requiring the removal of gender-specific job appellations, gender-specific wage categories and rates in the same job occupations in the Salt Manufacturing Industry (Remuneration) Regulations 2019, the Sugar Industry (Agricultural Workers) (Remuneration) Regulations 2019, and the Tea Industry Workers (Remuneration) Regulations 2019, the Government indicates that the labour legislation is in the process of being reviewed to address the issue of wage determination in the various Remuneration Regulations in a more holistic manner and that the National Remuneration Board (NRB) will determine wages for the different categories of workers employed in the private sector on an occupation basis instead on a sectoral basis. Taking into consideration the complexity of the reform, the Government indicates that ILO technical assistance was requested, and the first step of the reform has been implemented with the assistance of ILO experts. The Committee notes that the timeline for the introduction of the wage reform was set as mid-2024. Regarding remuneration, the Committee notes reference made by the Government, in its report on the application of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), to the Employment Relations Act (EReA) which was amended by the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 – Act No. 12 of 2023 to include a new Section 91A on: “Determination of wages on occupational basis”, which provides for the designation of a specialised consultant responsible for developing recommendations for the elimination of all gender-specific categorization of workers in the different remuneration regulations and harmonization of wages for similar category of workers across different sectors. The Government indicates that the Report of the consultant is expected before the end of 2023 and will be implemented by mid-2024. The Committee welcomes positive steps taken to reform various Remuneration Regulations andurges the Government to take all necessary measures to ensure that within the framework of the reform of the Remuneration Regulations, all remaining gender-specific job appellations, and different wage levels for men and women in the same job are removed from the above-mentioned Regulations. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure that, when determining minimum wage rates by occupations in the sectors covered by remuneration regulations, skills considered to be “female” are not undervalued in comparison with traditionally “male” skills and that female-dominated occupations are not undervalued in comparison with male-dominated occupations. In this regard, the Committee also refers to its comments on the application of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111).

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