The Ambit of Terms and Conditions of Employment in Equal Pay Claims Under Section 6(4) of the EEA: Lessons from International Labour Law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2024/v27i0a18384Keywords:
Equal pay, equal terms and conditions of employment, terms and conditions of employment, pay, working conditions, terms of work, EEA, Equal Pay Code, Employment Equity RegulationsAbstract
Section 6(4) of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (hereafter the EEA) seeks to provide an explicit basis for three types of equal pay claims. It is clear from section 6(4) of the EEA that there are various elements that an equal pay claimant must prove across the three equal pay causes of action. The only element considered in this article is "[a] difference in terms and conditions of employment". No definition is provided in the EEA, the Employment Equity Regulations (GN R595 in GG 37873 of 1 August 2014) or the Code of Good Practice on Equal Pay/Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (GN 448 in GG 38837 of 1 June 2015) as to what would fall within the ambit of "terms and conditions of employment" as referred to in section 6(4) of the EEA. It is important to know what would fall within the ambit of terms and conditions of employment as one of the elements an equal pay claimant must prove is that there is a difference in "terms and conditions of employment". This importance is furthermore evidenced by the fact that an employer can defeat an equal pay claim if it is able to show that the cause of the equal pay complaint does not fall within the ambit of terms and conditions of employment. This article seeks to answer the question as to what falls within the ambit of terms and conditions of employment for the purpose of equal pay claims as contemplated in section 6(4) of the EEA by having reference to domestic and international labour law.
Downloads
References
Bibliography
Literature
ILO Equal Remuneration: General Survey
International Labour Organisation Equal Remuneration: General Survey by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (International Labour Conference, 72nd Session) (International Labour Office Geneva 1986)
Landau and Beigbeder From ILO Standards to EU Law
Landau EC and Beigbeder Y From ILO Standards to EU Law: The Case of Equality between Men and Women at Work (Martinus Nijhoff Leiden 2008)
Oelz, Olney and Manuel Equal Pay
Oelz M, Olney S and Manuel T Equal Pay: An Introductory Guide (International Labour Office Geneva 2013)
Valticos and Von Potobsky International Labour Law
Valticos N and Von Potobsky G International Labour Law 2nd ed (Kluwer Law and Taxation Deventer-Boston 1995)
Case law
Europe
Abdoulaye v Regie Nationale des Usines Renault SA Case C-218/98, 1999 ECR I-5742 (ECJ)
Arbeiterwohlfahrt der Stadt Berlin e.V. v Bötel Case C-360/90, 1992 ECR I-3589 (ECJ)
Barber v Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance Group Case C-262/88, 1990 ECR I-1944 (ECJ)
Bilka-Kaufhaus GmbH v Weber von Hartz Case 170/84, 1986 ECR 1620 (ECJ)
Birds Eye Walls Ltd v Roberts Case C-132/92, 1993 ECR I-5599 (ECJ)
Brunnhofer v Bank der Osterreichischen Postsparkasse Case C-381/99, 2001 IRLR 571 (ECJ)
Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Belgium Case C-173/91, 1993 ECR I-693 (ECJ)
Elsner-Lakeburg v Land Nordrhein-Westfalen Case C-285/02, 2005 IRLR 209 (ECJ)
Garland v British Rail Engineering Ltd Case 12/81, 1982 ECR 360 (ECJ)
Gillespie v Northern Health and Social Services Boards Case C-342/93, 1996 ECR I-492 (ECJ)
Grant v South West Trains Case C-249/96, 1998 ECR I-636 (ECJ)
Griesmar v Ministre de L'Economie, des Finances et de L'Industrie Case C-366/99, 2001 ECR I-9413 (ECJ)
Gruber v Silhouette International Schmied GmbH & Co KG Case C-249/97, 1999 ECR I-5315 (ECJ)
Hlozek v Roche Austria Gesellschaft mbH Case C-19/02, 2004 ECR I-11523 (ECJ)
Jämställdhetsombudsmannen v Örebro Läns Landsting 2000 IRLR 421 (ECJ)
Kowalska v Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Case C-33/89, 1990 ECR I-2607 (ECJ)
Kruger v Kreiskrankenhaus Ebersberg Case C-281/97, 1999 ECR I-5141 (ECJ)
Kuratorium für Dialyse und Nierentransplantation e.V. v Lewark Case C-457/93, 1996 ECR I-260 (ECJ)
Lewen v Denda Case C-333/97, 1999 ECR I-7266 (ECJ)
Lommers v Minister van Landbouw, Natuurbeheer en Visserij Case C-476/99, 2002 ECR I-2921 (ECJ)
Podesta v CRICA Case C-50/99, 2000 ECR I-4055 (ECJ)
Rinner-Kuhn v FWW Spezial-Gebaudereinigung GmbH Case 171/88, 1989 ECR (ECJ)
Roca Álvarez v Sesa Start España ETT SA Case C-104/09, 2010 ECR I-8677 (ECJ)
Sabbatini-Bertoni v European Parliament Case 20/71, 1972 ECR 345 (ECJ)
Ten Oever v Stichting Bedrijfspensioenfonds voor het Glazenwassers-en Schoonmaakbedrijf Case C-109/91, 1993 ECR I-4939 (ECJ)
Worringham and Humphreys v Lloyds Bank Limited Case 69/80, 1981 ECR 768 (ECJ)
South Africa
Co-operative Worker Association v Petroleum Oil and Gas Co-operative of SA 2007 1 BLLR 55 (LC)
Duma v Minister of Correctional Services 2016 37 ILJ 1135 (LC)
Heynsen v Armstrong Hydraulics (Pty) Ltd 2000 12 BLLR 1444 (LC)
Joy Mining Machinery (A Division of Harnischfeger (SA) (Pty) Ltd) v NUMSA 2002 4 BLLR 372 (LC)
Louw v Golden Arrows Bus Services (Pty) Ltd 2000 21 ILJ 188 (LC)
Mangena v Fila South Africa (Pty) Ltd 2010 31 ILJ 662 (LC)
Mthembu v Claude Neon Lights 1992 13 ILJ 422 (IC)
Mutale v Lorcom Twenty Two CC 2009 3 BLLR 217 (LC)
National Union of Mineworkers v Henry Gould (Pty) Ltd 1988 9 ILJ 1149 (IC)
Ntai v SA Breweries Ltd 2001 22 ILJ 214 (LC)
NUMSA v Baderpop (Pty) Ltd 2003 3 SA 513 (CC)
Pioneer Foods (Pty) Ltd v Workers Against Regression (WAR) 2016 37 ILJ 2872 (LC)
S v Makwanyane 1995 3 SA 391 (CC)
SA Chemical Workers Union v Sentrachem 1988 9 ILJ 410 (IC)
SANDU v Minister of Defence 1999 6 BLLR 615 (CC)
Sethole v Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality 2018 1 BLLR 74 (LC)
TGWU v Bayete Security Holdings 1999 4 BLLR 401 (LC)
Legislation
Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998
Government publications
GN 691 in GG 24889 of 23 May 2003 (Schedule on the Calculation of Employee's Remuneration in terms of section 35(5) of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997)
GN 1358 in GG 27866 of 4 August 2005 (Code of Good Practice on the Integration of Employment Equity into Human Resources Policies and Practices)
GN R595 in GG 37873 of 1 August 2014 (Employment Equity Regulations)
GN 448 in GG 38837 of 1 June 2015 (Code of Good Practice on Equal Pay/Remuneration for Work of Equal Value)
International and regional instruments
Consolidated Versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty Establishing the European Community (2002)
Directive 2006/54/EC on the Implementation of the Principle of Equal Opportunities and Equal Treatment of Men and Women in Matters of Employment and Occupation (Recast) (2006)
Directive 75/117/EEC Relating to the Application of the Principle of Equal Pay for Men and Women (1975)
Directive 76/207/EEC on the Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment for Men and Women as Regards Access to Employment, Vocational Training and Promotion, and Working Conditions (1976)
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention 111 of 1958
Equal Remuneration Convention 100 of 1951
EU Memorandum on Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value (1994)
Treaty Establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Internet sources
Biagi 1997 https://training.itcilo.org/actrav_cdrom1/english/global/law/
lablaw.htm
Biagi M 1997 Freedom of Association: Six Case Studies https://training.itcilo.org/actrav_cdrom1/english/global/law/lablaw.htm accessed 15 September 2024
ILO 2024 https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:
11200:0::NO::P11200_COUNTRY_ID:102888
International Labour Organisation 2024 Ratifications for South Africa https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:11200:0::NO::P11200_COUNTRY_ID:102888 accessed 6 October 2024
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Shamier Ebrahim
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}