At today's meeting of the Labor and Social Policy Committee of the National Assembly, amendments to the Labor Code were discussed and recommended for the plenary session.
According to the new amendments, the article concerning the employer's obligations is improved, and it is established as an obligation to ensure equal pay to employees performing the same or equivalent work regardless of their gender.
At the same time, with the addition of a new section to Article 154 of the Code, it is envisaged that the objective evaluation of equivalent work is determined by employers considering labor conditions, the nature of the labor function, and the tariff-qualification characteristics provided for in the valid Unified Tariff-Qualification Survey Booklets.”
Economist deputy Vuqar Bayramov in an interview with Medianews.az said, the new amendment aims to further minimize the wage differences between women and men: “Currently, the average salary of women across the country is approximately 70 percent of men’s wages. International practice considers 80 percent or higher more acceptable. Indeed, in Azerbaijan, the gender wage gap is influenced by the fact that in several sectors, especially in the mining industry, men are employed more.
Nevertheless, following the newly proposed amendments to the legislation, salary increases for women may be observed in several sectors. The requirements and responsibilities for employers in this area are further clarified. This will lead to a further reduction in the difference between the average wages of women and men.”