HUMAN RIGHTS The main characteristics of Convention No. 100 are: Aim of the Convention • Application of the principle of ‘equal pay for work of equal value’; • To eliminate differences in rates of remuneration received by male and female workers. Scope • Applies to all workers. Elements • Implies comparison between jobs which may be different but which have similar characteristics; • Remuneration includes basic wages as well as any benefits in cash or in kind, such as cash bonuses, family allowances, paid vacations, pensions, etc. discriminated against in the workplace, because of their sex or ethnicity, or both, and this impacts on their wage earning potential. 2.2 Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (1958) (No. 111) Convention No. 111 on discrimination in employment and occupation is the main ILO instrument that can be used to address the issue of work-related discrimination against minorities and indigenous peoples. Convention No. 111 promotes policies in favour of equal opportunity. Although it concerns the workplace, this can have far-reaching consequences and encompasses a range of issues one would not automatically link to this theme. Tools • Collective agreements, e.g. national, industry-wide or enterprise-based; • National laws and regulations, e.g. minimum wage law; • Wage determination mechanisms, e.g. public service wage scales; • A combination of the above. Aim of the Convention • To promote equality in employment and occupation. Strategies • Avoid stereotyping in job classification, i.e. skills and tasks considered to be traditionally ‘feminine’, e.g. caring, cleaning, secretarial; • Conduct labour inspections; • Develop and conduct objective job appraisals and evaluations; • Develop appropriate wage determination methods. Definition of discrimination • Any distinction, exclusion or preference based on one or more of the prohibited grounds: colour; national extraction; political opinion; ‘race’; religion; sex; social origin; or other grounds determined by national legislation, e.g. age, civil status, disability, or sexual orientation; which nullifies or impairs equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation. Action required by governments • To ensure application of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value where possible, for example in public services; • To promote this principle where there is no direct control over wage fixing, such as in the private sector. Exceptions • A distinction, exclusion or preference for a particular job based on the inherent requirements of the job. For example, language proficiency if the job includes interaction with the public, a certain level of visual acuity for airline pilots, being a member of a specific religious group if the job requires performing religious services (e.g. a priest); • Special measures for people requiring special protection or assistance for reasons such as age, disability, family responsibilities, sex, or social or cultural status. Special measures can be applied to affirmative action programmes, e.g. for ethnic minorities in the public sector. Convention No. 100 is concerned with a specific aspect of gender discrimination – differences in the wages men and women receive. Often this can be attributed to no objective reason other than that the workers belong to different sexes. While steps have been taken to address the issue, and to diminish wage differentials, much remains to be done. Although Convention No. 100 is not specifically targeting discrimination based on ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’, it is relevant, as minority and indigenous women are often Scope • All sectors and situations where people are employed or work, including self-employment; • Everyone, including workers who are nationals as well as non-national workers, e.g. foreign workers. Application • Equal access to employment and occupation, e.g. par- THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION: A HANDBOOK FOR MINORITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 11