National pay equity initiative launched

AMMAN — The ILO and Jordan’s National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) on Tuesday endorsed an action plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of efforts to promote the principle of equal pay for work of equal value.

As part of the plan, three workshops will be held in different regions of Jordan over the course of 2014 to increase awareness of pay equity amongst the public, policy makers and community leaders at governorate level, as well as lobby for relevant amendments to the Labour Code. The plan also includes a media campaign, in-depth research on gender discrimination in the workplace and a pilot programme on a gender-sensitive human resource system in a private school. 

“Pay equity is one of the core principles of human rights at work, which we are committed to,” said Hamada Abu Nijmeh, secretary general of the Labour Ministry and co-chairperson of the NCPE. “But this commitment has to be reflected through legislation with clearly defined provisions which are in harmony with reality. At the same time, there has to be practical implementation on the ground through raising awareness of employers and workers in specific, and society in general.’’

In 2011, the Labour Ministry and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) joined forces with the ILO to launch the NCPE. Since then, the committee has grown to include trade unions, professional associations, employers, civil society groups, women’s research centres, members of Parliament and the dedicated media.

“The committee has accomplished many achievements such as bringing together all relevant parties involved,” said Asma Khader, secretary general of the JNCW and co-chairperson of the NCPE. 

“It has brought the issue to the attention of ministries, particularly the Ministry of Labour, parliamentarians and the public. But it has also put the issue of pay equity at the top of the national agenda in order to adequately deal with women’s issues,” she said, adding that the NCPE should also work to empower women economically by bolstering their role in the labour market. 

“Empowering the economy is something that should be done through women,” Khader noted.  

In May 2013, the NCPE and the ILO released a comprehensive legal review that recommended legal amendments to promote equal remuneration for all workers in line with international standards, including the ILO’s Equal Remuneration Convention. 

The committee has also produced research on pay discrimitation in private schools which outlined the stark gender pay gap in Jordan and concluded that the country’s current legal framework lacks provisions to encourage women to join the labour market or promote equality in the workplace.

“The committee looked at how pay equity commissions in different countries operate with the view to learn from good practices and reflect on the best options for Jordan to ensure the sustainability of this work,” ILO Senior Specialist on Gender Equality Emanuela Pozzan said, in reference to the action plan.

The NCPE and the ILO have held numerous meetings with MPs and Labour Ministry representatives to discuss pay equity amendments to the country’s legal framework, with particular focus on equal remuneration.