“
For equal work, equal pay
”: the European Commission on Thursday proposed rules to enforce this principle and recommended to the Twenty-Seven to impose fines to force companies to renounce the differences in pay between men and women.
“
For equal pay, you need transparency.
Women need to know if their employers are treating them fairly.
And when this is not the case, they must have the power to defend themselves and get what they deserve,
”said the president of the Brussels executive, Ursula von der Leyen.
Read also: France crowned champion of gender equality in companies
The proposal is presented a few days before International Women's Day.
The Member States and the European Parliament will seize it "
and the cursors could move
", estimates a senior European official.
“
Equal pay has been a right since 1957, yet today in the EU women earn less than men and the gender pay gap currently stands at 14.1%
”, Underlined the Commission in its communication.
It is 30% for pensions, underlines the document.
The gap is "
much larger if we only take into account the private sector
", confide the European officials who worked on this project.
Parity difficult to achieve in institutions
The European Commission aims to be a model in this area.
Commissioners, directors general and heads of unit have the same salaries.
But parity is difficult to achieve in the institutions and Ursula von der Leyen has been forced to wring a lot of arms in the Member States to secure the nomination of female candidates to form her team of 13 women and 14 men.
Women are still few in leadership positions.
“
Gender pay discrimination is a systemic problem, but difficult to prove.
Thanks to the introduction of rules on pay transparency and a mechanism to enforce them, workers will have the necessary tool to obtain the required information on potential pay gaps
, ”the Commissioner explained. 'Equality, Helena Dalli, who presented this proposal with the Vice-President in charge of Values, Vera Jourova.
"
For those who will refuse to change discriminatory practices, we are strengthening workers' confidence to act, including to seek compensation in court,
" she said.
The Commission's draft calls for Member States to impose specific sanctions and fines for breaches of the equal pay rule.
“
The ideal would have been the same level of fine for all Member States, but we must be clear: companies will not cut penalties and fines will have to be dissuasive.
We have at least that
”in the proposal, explained the senior official.
