Iraq: The ILO asks for clarifications from the government about the equal payment for men and women

The 2019 annual report of the Committee of Experts of the International Labour Organization (ILO) included rates on the implementation of the International Labour Conventions on the Prevention of Forced Labour No. 29 of 1930 and ratified by the Republic of Iraq in 1962 and the Convention for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour No. 182 of 1999, ratified by Iraq in 2001.

The report related the issue of child labour to the quality of education in Iraq and the problem of the dropout of students from schools. Most of these issues (forced labour and child labour) are related to the situation in the liberated areas, issues of trafficking in children and the use of children in armed conflicts and their repercussions on society.

The report also referred to the status of Iraq in relation to the International Labour Convention No. 100 of 1951 on Equal Salaries and ratified by Iraq in 1963. The committee pointed to the important development included in the Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 in this respect comparing to the former labour law No.71 of 1987. The Committee of Experts asked the government to provide information on the effective implementation of article 35 of the new Labour Code on Equal Salaries for Women and Men for Work of Equal Value.

The committee also asked the government to take steps to raise awareness of the concept of "equal payment for the same work of equal value" among workers, employers and their organizations, as well as enforcement officials and the public.

As for the International Labour Convention No. 111 of 1958, which was ratified by the Republic of Iraq in 1959 on the prevention of discrimination in employment and occupation, the Committee of Experts recorded the legislative developments in Iraq in this area after the issuance of Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 and its entry into force in February 2016, addressing discrimination in all its forms and preventing sexual harassment at work, as well as, any behaviour leading to the creation of an intimidating work environment.

#Iraq #ILO #clarifications #equal #payment #men_and_women