asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if, in view of his recent replies as to the Government's desire to implement equal pay for men and women, it is the Government's intention now to ratify the ILO Convention on equal pay for equal work, which they have hitherto omitted to ratify.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - ILO Convention on Equal Pay.
37.
International Labour Organisation Convention No. 100 relating to equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value provides expressly that this principle may be applied by means of national laws or regulations; legally established or recognised machinery for wage determination; collective agreements between employers and workers; or a combination of these various means.
The normal method employed in wage negotiations in Ireland is that of free collective bargaining. Before taking a decision on the possibility of ratifying Convention No. 100, the Government should have regard to the trend in free collective bargaining in the direction of equal pay.
Having regard to the general existing pay structures, it would not be appropriate to ratify the Convention at this stage.
Mr. O'Leary
Would the Minister consider that it would be within the Government's terms of reference in regard to some of their own services to introduce this without causing much trouble or disruption of free negotiations?
It would possibly be going ahead of events for the Government to take any initiative like that. I should prefer to see collective bargaining, and to see how trends would develop in that way, and to decide when the time is appropriate whether or not to ratify it.
Mr. O'Leary
But for certain sections of industry under the Government's control, would it not be possible to introduce it without much upset? The Government could, in fact, not exactly give a lead but help in adding to the list of countries which have ratified the ILO Convention.
I still think this is not for total Government initiative. We should wait to see what free negotiations bring and what trends bring and then decide whether to ratify it.
The Government are waiting for a lead.