Ensure men and women are paid the same
Today, women still earn on average 14.1% less than men in comparable positions. A true scandal in the 21st century.
We support Commissioner Helena Dalli’s efforts to introduce a pay transparency directive – an essential first step to end pay differences between men and women, which remain far too high. The directive will apply to all employers, in both the private and public sectors, and to all workers. A large majority of EU countries have no legal framework on pay transparency. With new proposed pay transparency measures, it will be possible to identify gender biases in pay structures or inadequate salaries. The new measures will allow workers to detect pay discrimination and claim their rights. This will benefit all workers, not just women.
The pandemic has disproportionally affected women and especially those with low-paid and insecure jobs. This is why we now need to redouble our efforts to end the gender pay gap and support women’s economic security. But this is just one part of the problem and the next steps to take must be to introduce fair minimum wages in the whole of the EU, revise the Directive on equal opportunities, promote the equal treatment of men and women at work and adopt the Women on Boards Directive.