Equal Pay

In the context of the Lebanon Labour Code of 1946, 'Equal Pay' refers to the prohibition of discrimination between working men and women with regard to the amount of wage or salary for the same type of work, as stipulated in Article 26. While it mandates equal pay for equal work, the Code does not explicitly provide for 'equal pay for work of equal value' in the modern sense, though Lebanon's ratification of ILO Convention No. 100 provides interpretive guidance.

In the context of the Tunisia Labour Code 1966, 'Equal Pay' is implicitly mandated by Article 5bis, which prohibits discrimination between men and women in the application of the Code's provisions, including those related to wages. This principle is further reinforced by Tunisia's ratification of ILO Convention No. 100, which explicitly calls for equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value, ensuring that wage disparities based solely on gender are impermissible.

Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, 'Equal Pay' refers to the statutory right of employees not to be discriminated against in terms of pay and other contractual terms on grounds of sex, race, disability, or other protected characteristics. This extends the existing provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to encompass a broader range of protected characteristics and introduces more proactive measures to ensure pay parity. It mandates that individuals performing 'equal work' – defined as like work, work rated as equivalent, or work of equal value – must receive the same remuneration and contractual benefits, unless a material factor defence, unrelated to a protected characteristic, can be objectively justified. The Act strengthens the mechanisms for identifying and rectifying pay disparities, moving beyond reactive complaint-based systems to proactive employer obligations.

The principle that men and women should receive equal remuneration for work of equal value. This encompasses not only basic wages but also any other benefits, direct or indirect, monetary or in-kind, arising out of employment. The assessment of 'equal value' considers a range of factors including skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, ensuring that comparisons are not limited to identical jobs but extend to jobs that are different in nature but demonstrably of equivalent worth to the employer.

Equal pay refers to the principle that men and women should receive the same remuneration for performing the same or substantially similar work, addressing direct discrimination in wage rates based on sex. This is a fundamental aspect of the Equal Pay Act 1972.