Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

1. Assessment of the gender remuneration gap. The Committee recalls the observations dated 31 August 2004 from the trade union Lietuvos Darbo Federacija (LDF), which were forwarded to the Government on 25 October 2004. LDF states that, while the legislation provided for equal remuneration for men and women, a gap between the wages earned by men and women continued to exist. The Committee notes that, according to data published by Statistics Lithuania, between 2000 and 2003 the gender remuneration gap for average monthly gross earnings increased from 18.2 per cent to 19 per cent, while it decreased to 17.6 per cent in 2005. The gender remuneration gap in the public sector remains wider than in the private sector. For the public sector it increased from 23 per cent in 2000 to 25.2 per cent in 2002, and then decreased to 22.1 per cent in 2005. However, the Committee is concerned that since 2000 the gender remuneration gap in the private sector has increased, from 15.6 per cent in 2000 to 17.9 per cent in 2005. The Committee asks the Government to provide detailed information on the measures taken to address the existing gender remuneration gap and to assess and indicate to the Committee the causes of the widening of the gender remuneration gap in the private sector and the measures taken to reverse this negative trend. It also asks the Government to continue providing full statistical information concerning the earnings of men and women according to sector, economic activity, and occupation.

2. Articles 3 and 4 of the Convention. Objective job appraisals. Cooperation with workers’ and employers’ organizations. The Committee notes the Tripartite Council approved a “Methodology for the Assessment of Jobs and Positions” in 2005, recommending them for use by enterprises, institutions and organizations. As indicated by the Government, one of the objectives of the Methodology is to reduce differences between remuneration received by men and women. A bilateral agreement between trade unions and employers’ organizations on the application of the Methodology was signed on 13 June 2005. The agreement recommends that heads of undertakings and trade unions apply the Methodology in practice and provide for this in collective agreements. The Committee also notes that the Methodology was presented during a number of tripartite meetings and workshops and that it has been published as a brochure and on the Internet web site of the Council. In addition, the secretariat of the Tripartite Council agreed to hold, upon request, workshops and consultations on the application of the Methodology for workers’ and employers’ representatives. The Committee notes this tripartite initiative with interest and asks the Government to continue to provide information on the application in practice of the “Methodology for the Assessment of Jobs and Positions”, including information on how collective agreements have been used to promote objective job evaluation as a means to ensure that remuneration for men and women is determined in a non-discriminatory manner. The Committee also asks the Government to provide information as to the number of undertakings applying the Methodology and on the measures taken to monitor the impact of their use on the remuneration levels of men and women.

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