European Union Statement 

112th International Labour Conference

Committee on Application of Standards

Georgia

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)

Geneva, 11 June 2024

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro* and Albania*, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

1. The EU and its Member States are committed to the respect, protection, and fulfilment of human rights, including labour rights. We promote universal ratification and effective implementation of fundamental ILO Conventions and support the ILO in developing and promoting international labour standards and supervising their application.
2. The EU and its Member States granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on the understanding that Georgia takes relevant steps in the area of proper functioning of democratic institutions and reforms related to justice and the rule of law. Since 2016, an association agreement between the EU and Georgia is in force and together we have been deepening political association and economic integration with the EU, including through a commitment to respect and implement the internationally recognised core labour standards, as embodied in the fundamental ILO conventions.
3. We acknowledge that in recent years, Georgia has adopted important reforms of its labour legislation, including key amendments to the Labour Code in 2020, which, among others, introduced the principle of equal pay for equal work. However, despite the requests of the Committee of Experts and the conclusions of the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards of 2018, the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value is still not properly reflected in the legislation. In line with the observations of the Committee of Experts, we encourage the Government to amend labour legislation to include the principle of “equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value” and to revise relevant sections of the 2015 Law on Public Service to include the concept of “work of equal value”.  
4. We welcome that Georgia has developed several instruments to reduce the gender pay gap and promote equal remuneration, such as the National Concept Document on Women’s Economic Empowerment and the Gender Impact Assessment on the Civil Service Law. The country has also joined the Equal Pay International Coalition and has adopted in 2022 the State Concept on Gender Equality, which aims to eliminate all forms of gender-based discrimination.
5. We however note that despite these and other measures, horizontal and vertical segregation persists in the country. The EU and its Member States encourage the Government to increase its efforts to address unequal remuneration and provide additional information on the measures taken within the framework of the previously mentioned instruments. Regarding the Gender Impact Assessment on the Civil Service Law, we echo the call of the Committee of Experts to provide a summary of its findings, as well as to continue providing to the Committee gender-disaggregated data on employment in the country.
6. As regards enforcement, we welcome the continued development and capacity building of the Labour Inspection Office, tasked, among others, with the investigation of allegations of discrimination and the organization of awareness-raising trainings. We also note, from the Government’s information, the establishment of a special division to investigate workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. Despite these measures, the Committee notes that in the 2021-2022 period, the Labour Inspection Office did not find any violations related to equal remuneration. Moreover, the additional written information submitted by the Government does not develop on whether the trainings organized by the Labour Inspection Office included components on equal pay.
7. In line with the General Survey of 2012, we would like to recall that when no cases or complaints are being lodged it is a likely indication of a lack of an appropriate legal framework, lack of awareness of right, lack of confidence in, or absence of practical access to procedures, or fear of reprisals. We encourage the Government to provide more information on measures taken to organize awareness-raising trainings for various categories of state officials, workers and employers and on the accessibility and availability of existing complaint mechanisms.
8. We welcome the Government’s recognition that gaps may still exist in their legislation and the commitment to collaborate with the social partners to ensure decent work for all. The EU and its Member States are ready to cooperate constructively with Georgia with the aim to strengthen the Government’s capacity to address the issues raised in the Committee of Experts’ report.

Thank you Chair.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.