2011/2285(INI)
Application of the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value
Application of the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value 2011/2285(INI)
Lead committee dossier: FEMM/7/07712
| EMPL | FEMM | |
| Lead Rapporteur | BAUER Edit (EPP) | |
| Opinion Rapporteur(s) | ZIMMER Gabriele (GUE/NGL) |
Procedure completed
2011/2285(INI) Application of the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value
Lead committee dossier: FEMM/7/07712
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion | EMPL | ZIMMER Gabriele (GUE/NGL) | |
| Lead | FEMM | BAUER Edit (EPP) |
Subjects
Activites
- 2012/05/24 Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
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2012/05/24
Prev DG PRES
- DG {u'url': u'http://ec.europa.eu/social/', u'title': u'Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion'}, ANDOR László
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2012/05/10
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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A7-0160/2012
summary
The Committee on Womens Rights and Gender Equality adopted the own-initiative report drafted by Edit BAUER (EPP, SK) with recommendations to the Commission on application of the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value. Rule 42 of the European Parliaments Rules of Procedure: this motion for a resolution is presented in accordance with Rule 42 of the Rules of Procedure which provides that the Parliament may request the Commission to submit to it any appropriate proposal for the adoption of a new act or the amendment of an existing act, by adopting a resolution on the basis of an own-initiative report drawn up by the committee responsible. Review of Directive 2006/54/EC: Members call on the Commission to review 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), by 15 February 2013 at the latest. In this regard, they suggest a series of amendments in the form of recommendations which are annexed to the motion for a resolution. Gender pay gap: Members recall that according to the latest provisional and incomplete figures, women across the European Union earn on average 16.4% less than men in the EU and the gender pay gap varies between 4.4% and 27.6% in the Member States. Despite the significant body of legislation in force for almost 40 years and the actions taken and resources spent on trying to reduce the gap progress is extremely slow and in some Member States the gap has even widened. It is for this reason that Members call for a Europe-wide strategy to address the gender pay gap with the support of the Member States and the social partners. Member States and the Commission are called upon to: foster closer coordination among Member States in relation to research, analysis and taking full advantage of best-practice sharing; exchange best practices and increase the cooperation in developing new ideas in tackling the gender pay gap; oppose inequality in pay between the sexes in all relevant EU policies and national programmes, in particular in those geared towards the fight against poverty; revise the Council directive concerning the Framework Agreement on part-time work, with the aim of closing the gender pay gap; encourages the social partners to shoulder their responsibility in terms of creating a more gender-equal wage structure; provide for the possibility of collective redress against violations of the equal pay principle, as a means enabling individuals and/or representative bodies to bring a case on behalf of consenting complainants in court proceedings; continue with awareness-raising campaigns, including providing adequate information on the burden of proof, given that it plays a significant role in ensuring the principle of equal treatment; determine objectives, strategies and time limits for reducing the gender pay gap and equalising equal pay for the same work and work of the same value; promote further research on flexicurity strategies in order to assess their impact on the gender pay gap and determine how these strategies can help tackle gender discrimination. Lastly, Members propose that Parliament should offer a Women and Business in Europe prize, which could be awarded to employers (undertakings, institutions and authorities) who lead the way in promoting women, supporting female managers and practising equal pay. Detailed recommendations as to the content of the proposal requested: Recommendation 1: Definitions: to have more precise categories as tools for dealing with the gender pay gap (GPG) it is important to define the different concepts more precisely, such as: GPG, the definition of which must not cover gross hourly pay alone, while there needs to be a distinction between unadjusted and net gender pay gap; direct and indirect pay discrimination; remuneration, the definition of which should cover any net wages and salaries as well as any work-related financial entitlements and in-kind benefits; work treated as equal (in individual categories of occupations). Recommendation 2: Analysis of the situation and transparency of results: given that the lack of information and awareness among employers and employees about existing of possible pay gaps within their company as well as their ignorance weakens the implementation of the principle enshrined in the Treaty and in existing legislation, Members consider it essential that regular pay audits, as well as the publication of their results, bearing in mind the personal data protection, are made compulsory within companies (e.g. in companies with at least 30 employees and each sex is represented in at least 10% of the employees). Employers should provide employees and their representatives with results in the form of wage statistics, broken down by gender but bearing in mind the personal data protection. When wage statistics show group or individual differences in pay on grounds of sex, employers are obliged to analyze these differences further and react to eliminate them. Recommendation 3: Work evaluation and job classification: the concept of the value of work must be based on qualifications, interpersonal skills and responsibility emphasising quality of work, with the aim of promoting equal opportunities between women and men. This concept should not be marked by a stereotyped approach unfavourable to women, for example putting the emphasis on physical strength rather than on interpersonal skills. In this context, the Commissions initiative should encourage Member States to introduce job classification complying with the principle of equality between women and men, enabling both employers and workers to identify possible pay discrimination based on a biased pay-scale definition. Recommendation 4: Equality and legal remedy: equality promotion and monitoring bodies should play a greater role in diminishing GPG. The bodies should be empowered to monitor, report, and, where possible, enforce gender equality legislation more effectively and more independently while they should be adequately funded. Article 20 of Directive 2006/54/EC should be revised so as to enhance the bodies mandate by: (i) supporting and advising victims of pay discrimination; (ii) providing independent surveys concerning the pay gap; (iii) publishing independent reports and making recommendations on any issue relating to pay discrimination; (iv) legal powers to initiate their own investigation; (v) legal powers to impose sanctions in cases of breaching the principle of equal pay for equal work and/or to bring wage discrimination cases to court. Recommendation 5: Social dialogue: Members call on the Member States, while respecting national law, collective agreements or practice, to encourage social partners to introduce gender-neutral job classifications, enabling both employers and employees to identify possible pay discrimination based on a biased pay-scale definition. Management can play an important role not only with regard to pay equity, but also in terms of creating a climate to support the equal sharing of care responsibilities and careers advancement for both male and female workers. The social partners should be empowered to put equal pay issues on the agenda, not only within their own sectors, but also to opt for an intersectoral balance. The Commission should work out an operative, practical and user-friendly guidebook for social dialogue in companies and Member States. Recommendation 6: Prevention of discrimination: the report states that specific reference should be made to pay discrimination in Article 26 (on prevention of discrimination) of Directive 2006/54/EC, with a view to ensuring that Member States, with the involvement of the social partners and equal opportunity organisations, adopt: specific measures relating to training and job classification, aimed at the vocational-training system and designed to remove and prevent discrimination in training and classification and in the economical valuation of skills; specific policies to make it possible to reconcile work with family and personal life, covering high-quality and affordable childcare and, as well as maternity, paternity, parental and family leave; concrete actions to redress the pay gap and gender segregation; a clause in public contracts requiring respect for gender equality and equal pay for equal work. Recommendation 7: Gender mainstreaming: the Commission is called upon to gear itself to providing assistance to the Member States and to stakeholders as regards practical measures to bridge the gender pay gap by, inter alia: devising reporting schemes for the purposes of assessing pay gaps between men and women; creating a data bank containing information concerning changes to the systems for the classification and the organisation of workers; collating and disseminating the results of experiments relating to the reform of work organisation ; distributing information and guidelines on practical means, particularly for SMEs of redressing the pay gap, including national or sectoral collective agreements; developing a European equal pay quality certificate in cooperation with social partners and associations. Recommendation 8: Sanctions: Members call on the the Commission and Member States should reinforce the existing legislation with appropriate types of effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions. It is important that Member States take the necessary measures to ensure that infringement of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is subject to appropriate sanctions according to the legal provisions in force. It is recalled that under Directive 2006/54/EC, Member States are already obliged to provide compensation or reparation (Article 18), as well as penalties (Article 25). However, these provisions are not sufficient to avoid infringement of the equal pay principle. For this reason, Members propose to conduct a study on the feasibility, effectiveness and impact of launching possible sanctions such as: penalties, which must include the payment of compensation to the victim; administrative fines requested by labour inspectorates or the competent equality bodies; disqualification from public benefits, subsidies (including EU funding managed by Member States) and public procurement procedures; the identification of offenders, which should be made public. Recommendation 9: Streamlining of EU regulation and EU policy: Members call for : (i) the evaluation and possible revision of Council Directive 97/81/EC concerning the Framework Agreement on part-time work concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC, which prescribes equal treatment between full-time and part-time workers as well as more targeted and effective actions in collective agreements; (ii) the urgent introduction in the Employment Guidelines, inter alia regarding access to vocational training and recognition of womens qualifications and skills.
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A7-0160/2012
summary
- 2012/04/24 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
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2012/03/12
Deadline Amendments
- 2012/02/07 Committee draft report
- 2011/11/17 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
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2011/11/10
EP officialisation
Documents
- Committee draft report: PE480.835
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A7-0160/2012
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T7-0225/2012
Votes
A7-0160/2012 - Edit Bauer - § 1/2
2012/05/24
| Position | Total | ALDE | ECR | EFD | GUE/NGL | NI | PPE | S&D | Verts/ALE | correctional |
| For | 529 | 65 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 10 | 219 | 155 | 51 | 1 |
| Against | 59 | 0 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abstain | 14 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
A7-0160/2012 - Edit Bauer - § 16/2
2012/05/24
| Position | Total | ALDE | ECR | EFD | GUE/NGL | NI | PPE | S&D | Verts/ALE | correctional |
| For | 529 | 65 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 7 | 220 | 157 | 52 | 0 |
| Against | 58 | 0 | 39 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abstain | 20 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A7-0160/2012 - Edit Bauer - § 26
2012/05/24
| Position | Total | ALDE | ECR | EFD | GUE/NGL | NI | PPE | S&D | Verts/ALE | correctional |
| For | 318 | 59 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 6 | 27 | 150 | 50 | 0 |
| Against | 276 | 4 | 39 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 195 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Abstain | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 231 |
2011/2285(INI) Application of the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value
2012/03/13
FEMM
91 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 14 a (new) - having regard to the International Labour Organisation's convention 100: "Equal Remuneration",
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 14 b (new) - having regard to the ILO – UN Global Compact webinar of March 2011: "Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value: How do we get there?"
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas according to the latest provisional and incomplete figures women earn on average 1
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas women
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas women earn on average 17.1% less than men in the European Union and the gender pay gap varies between 3.2% and 30.9% in Member States, and whereas – despite the significant body of legislation in force for almost 40 years and the actions taken and resources spent on trying to reduce the gap – progress is extremely slow (the disparity at EU level was 17.7% in 2006, 18% in 2008 and 17.1% in 2009) and in some Member States the gap has even widened;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the causes of the persistent high gender pay gap are complex, multiple and often interrelated and go far beyond the single issue of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the causes of the gender pay gap are complex, multiple and often interrelated and go far beyond the single issue of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value; whereas these causes include direct and indirect discrimination, as well as social and economic factors such as occupational and sectoral segregation in the labour market, undervaluing of women’s work, inequality in the balancing of work and private life, and traditions and stereotyping, including in the choice of education
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas all too often the pay gap is linked to cultural legacies and legal and economic factors present in modern-day society;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas implementation of the principle of equal pay for the same work and for work of equal value is crucial to achieving gender equality; whereas the Commission and the Member States should be called upon to compile and regularly issue statistics showing not only average hourly wages, but also the amounts of pay that men and women receive for equal work or work of equal value;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas the recast Directive 2006/54/EC has contributed to the improvement of women's situation in the labour market
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) E a. whereas there is a need for a continued multifaceted approach to further close the gender pay gap, that includes existing Member State led strategies ranging from education, awareness raising and the rewarding of best practice; whereas an EU legislative proposal that increases the administrative burden on SMEs through forced sanctions and internal audits is not required; whereas SMEs are the engine for Europe's economic growth and recovery and to saddle them with extra costs, in a time of harsh economic austerity, is not the sensible or realistic answer for sustainable reductions in gender inequality;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas the pay gap is not based solely on disparities in gross hourly earnings and account should also be taken of factors such as individual pay supplements, job classification, work organisation patterns, professional experience and productivity, which should be measured not only in quantitative terms (hours when the worker is physically present at the workplace) but also in qualitative terms and in terms of the impact on earnings of shorter working hours, leave and health-related absences;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas trends show that salaries are more frequently individually negotiated, resulting in a lack of information and transparency on the individualised pay system which leads to increased pay disparities among employees at similar levels, and can result in widening the gender pay gap;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas, in all Member States, female students achieve a higher pass rate at school than their male counterparts and represent as many as 59% of all university graduates; but they are a minority in fields like mathematics and computer engineering; whereas only 8.4% in 1000 women aged 20-29 are graduates in mathematic sciences and technology compared to 17.6% men; whereas women's skills and competences are often undervalued – especially in those occupations where women predominate – without, necessarily, any justification on the basis of objective criteria; consequently there are fewer women working in scientific and technical jobs: only 29% of scientist and engineers across Europe are women; this result in women working in lower valued and lower paid sectors of the economy;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas, according to expert analysis, the gender pay gap starts to be visible after a woman’s return to the labour market from her first maternity leave; whereas women’s slower, shorter and/or interrupted careers also create a gender differential in contributions to
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas the pay system, whereby length of service is taken into account in setting the level of pay, is unfavourable to women who have (repeatedly) to interrupt their career because of external factors, such as child-related employment breaks, differing occupational choices or short working times, and places these women at a permanent and structural disadvantage;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas women are more often employed in part-time work, and whereas the gender pay gap is almost twice as wide among part-time workers as among full- time workers; whereas women, and younger women in particular, make up the highest number of workers in insecure jobs, especially in the private sector, a fact which affects their access to maternity, sickness, and old age benefits; whereas, because they are entitled to maternity leave, women are often illegally discriminated against by their employers when it comes to the award of ‘loyalty’ or ‘productivity’ bonuses;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I a (new) Ia. whereas professions and jobs in which women predominate have a tendency to be undervalued in comparison with those in which men predominate, without necessarily being justified by any objective criteria;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Recital I b (new) Ib. whereas data indicate that qualifications and experience acquired by women result in financially lower rewards than those acquired by men; whereas, in addition to the concept of 'equal pay for work of equal value', which must not be biased by a gender-stereotyped approach, societal roles that have hitherto significantly influenced education and employment paths must be broken away from, and education can and must contribute to eradicating gender stereotypes from society; whereas, furthermore, maternity and parental leave must not give rise to discrimination against women in the labour market;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas women work more often in lower-paid industries or in low-paid sectors with less collective representation and bargaining power;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) Ka. whereas data indicate that qualifications and experience acquired by women result in financially lower rewards than those acquired by men; whereas, in addition to the concept of 'equal pay for work of equal value', which must not be biased by a gender-stereotyped approach, societal roles that have hitherto significantly influenced education and employment paths must be broken away from; whereas, furthermore, maternity and parental leave must not give rise to discrimination against women in the labour market;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K b (new) Kb. whereas equality in male and female pensions has been set as a goal;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K c (new) Kc. whereas the gender-based digital divide that exists clearly impacts on pay; whereas effective lifelong learning geared to women's specific needs is of essential importance in enabling people to face up to the technological and social changes taking place in our society;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Recital K d (new) Kd. whereas the pay gap is even more pronounced among immigrant women, women with disabilities, women belonging to minorities and unqualified women;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L L. whereas only a few claims concerning discrimination in the form of a gender pay gap make their way to the competent courts; whereas there are many explanations for this scarcity, including a lack of information on pay, the problematic scope of comparison
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L a (new) La. whereas the so-called ‘austerity measures’ that have been carried out, depriving workers of rights, ostensibly on account of the economic crisis, have been worsening women’s social and employment situation still further, not least as a result of higher unemployment, wage cuts, cuts in welfare benefits, and the enforcement of policies which strike at the principle of collective bargaining;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Recital L a (new) La. whereas gender-specific data and a new gender-aware legal framework, enabling the causes of pay discrimination to be tackled, are essential;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M a (new) Ma. whereas Parliament has repeatedly called on the Commission to take initiatives, including the revision of existing legislation, in order to tackle the pay gap, to eliminate the risk of poverty among pensioners and to secure for them a decent standard of living;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Recital M a (new) Ma. whereas women are at greater risk of poverty in their old age owing to the direct effect the gender pay gap has on the gender gap in pensions, and also to their having a longer life expectancy than men;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Recognises that a multi-level, multifaceted approach requires
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Recognises that there are multiple causes which exacerbate the pay gap and therefore, recognises that a multi-level, multifaceted approach requires strong leadership from the European Union in coordinating policies, promoting good practices and involving various actors as European social partners, with the aim of creating a Europe-wide strategy to address the gender pay gap;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Recognises that a multi-level, multifaceted approach requires strong leadership from the European Union in coordinating policies, promoting good practices and involving various actors as European social partners and non- governmental organisations, with the aim of creating a Europe-wide strategy to address the gender pay gap;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Member States to implement and enforce the recast Directive 2006/54/EC consistently and to encourage the private and public sector to play a more active role in closing the gender pay gap;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Member States to implement and enforce the recast Directive 2006/54/EC consistently and to
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the Member States to implement and enforce the recast Directive 2006/54/EC consistently and to encourage the private sector to play a more active role in closing the gender pay gap and to allow partners to negotiate plans for equality between men and women at company, national and European level; Member States and the European Commission should encourage the social partners, including employers, to undertake job evaluation schemes free from gender bias; to implement job classification systems; and to foster the concept of job of equal pay;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Calls on the Member States to act in an exemplary manner themselves in regard to combating unequal pay for women in general government, public institutions and public companies;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Points out that it is important to raise the level of imputed contributions and to extend their duration in the event of mandatory or voluntary maternity leave or leave to care for elderly and dependent family members;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Points out that all too often women, in addition to the inequality in pay they suffer, have fewer entitlements and less protection than their male colleagues; calls on the Commission and the Council to follow up the resolution of the European Parliament of 20 October 2010 on improving the safety and health at work of pregnant workers, workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Calls for free or low cost systems to be adopted to identify contribution periods, in view of the fact that there are often breaks in the working lives of women;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Welcomes the Commission's Equal Pay Day initiative which was first established on 5 March 2011 and held for the second time on 2 March 2012;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7 a. Notes that pay inequality due to any other factor such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion would not be tolerated;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Points to the importance of obtaining figures to measure the impact of the crisis in terms of pay disparities and women’s working conditions, taking into account not least wage levels, the percentage of redundancies and business closures, the number of workers whose pay is in arrears, and the number of firms implementing lay-off schemes;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Urges the Member States with the highest gender pay gap to work closely with those member states with the lowest gender pay gap in order that best practice may truly be shared and developed;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to oppose inequality in pay between the sexes in all EU policies and national programmes;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9 b. Suggests that Member States may wish to appoint an Equal Pay Champion to monitor the situation in individual member states and to report back to their national parliaments and to the European Parliament on the progress that is being made;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Encourages the social partners to shoulder their responsibility for creating a more gender-equal wage structure, taking the higher wages as the reference point;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Encourages the social partners to shoulder their responsibility for creating a more gender-equal wage structure; to provide training courses on negotiation skills, including wage negotiation; to promote awareness of equal pay in the first instance with the view to working towards compulsory pay audits; to strengthen women positions within the social partnership structure, in particular in decision-making posts;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11 a. Calls on the European Commission to include violations of the equal pay principle in the scope of its forthcoming proposal on a horizontal directive on collective redress and calls on the Member States to provide for the possibility of such collective redress as a means for individuals and/or interested organisations such as NGOs and trade unions to bring a case on behalf of or in support of consenting complainants in court proceedings and to grant NGOs and trade unions legal standing to represent victims of discrimination also in administrative proceedings;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 b (new) 11 b. Stresses that only very few claims concerning gender pay discrimination made their way to the competent (regular or administrative) courts, considers that the burden of proof should be reversed;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Calls upon Member States and workers' and employers' organisations to jointly
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) 12 a. Encourages Member States to determine objectives, strategies and time limits for reducing the gender pay gap and equalizing equal pay for the same work and work of the same value;
Amendment 56 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 1, Paragraph 1, indent 1 - GPG, the definition of which must not cover gross hourly pay alone, while there needs to be a distinction between unadjusted and “net” gender pay gap and distinction between the sectors;
Amendment 57 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 1, Paragraph 1, indent 3 a (new) - Pension gap (in different pillars of pension systems, e.g. in pay-as-you-go systems, occupational pensions, as a continuation of the pay gap after retirement);
Amendment 58 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 1, Paragraph 1, indent 3 a (new) - work treated as ‘equal’ (in individual categories of occupations),
Amendment 59 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 1, Paragraph 1, indent 3 a (new) - work of the same value, so that relevant factors are mentioned;
Amendment 60 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 1, Paragraph 1, indent 3 b (new) - Employer, so that different departments under a direction that is responsible for the employees pay (and any possible inequality in pay), is considered as the same employer;
Amendment 61 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 1, Paragraph 1, indent 3 c (new) - Trades and collective agreements – it should be made more clear that jobs related to different collective agreements and different trades can be compared in court, provided that the jobs are comparable as equal work or work of equal value;
Amendment 62 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 1 Amendment 63 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 2 2.2. Acknowledging the lack of accurate, comparable and coherent statistical data, including on the part-time gender pay gap and the gender pensions gap, and the existing lower pay rates for women especially across professions traditionally dominated by women, Member States should take full account of the gender pay gap in their social policies and treat it as a serious problem.
Amendment 64 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 3 Amendment 65 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 3 2.3. It is therefore essential that regular pay audits, as well as
Amendment 66 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 3 2.3. It is therefore essential that regular pay audits, as well as accessible information on their results
Amendment 67 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 4 2.4. Employers should provide employees and their representatives with results in the form of wage statistics, broken down by gender but bearing in mind the personal data protection. This data should be compiled at sectoral and national level in each Member State.
Amendment 68 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 5 Amendment 69 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 5 a (new) 2.5a. The pay of national or local authority employees, including extra pay, bonuses, and other advantages forming part of remuneration, should be made public.
Amendment 70 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 2, Paragraph 5 a (new) 2.5.a. When wage statistics show group or individual differences in pay on grounds of sex, employers are obliged to analyze these differences further and react to eliminate them.
Amendment 71 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 3, Paragraph 1 3.1
Amendment 72 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 3, Paragraph 1 3.1. The concept of the value of work must be based on qualifications, interpersonal skills
Amendment 73 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 3, Paragraph 1 a (new) 3.1.a. The practise of evaluating jobs or creating job classification systems should include a gender neutral usage of the concept of value, thus making sure that jobs involving responsibility for human beings should be considered of equal value to jobs involving responsibility for material or financial resources.
Amendment 74 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 3, Paragraph 2 3.2. The Commission’s initiative should invite Member States to introduce job classification complying with the principle of equality between women and men, enabling both employers and workers to identify possible pay discrimination based on a biased pay-scale definition. Respecting national laws and traditions concerning industrial relations system remains important
Amendment 75 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 3, Paragraph 2 3.2. The Commission’s initiative should
Amendment 76 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 3, Paragraph 4 3.4. A gender-neutral job evaluation should be based on new systems for classifying and organising staff and organising work and on professional experience and productivity assessed above all in qualitative terms, such as education and other qualifications, mental and physical requirements, responsibility for human and material resources, for use as a source of data and assessment grids for determining pay, with due regard to the principle of
Amendment 77 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 4 Equality promotion and monitoring bodies should play a greater role in diminishing GPG. The bodies should be empowered to monitor
Amendment 78 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 4, Paragraph 1, indent 5 a (new) - legal powers to seek collective redress, including group action (claims on behalf of group members), collective lawsuits (multiple claims) and class action (claims on behalf of an undefined group;
Amendment 79 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 5, Paragraph 2 Amendment 80 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 5, Paragraph 3 a (new) To promote equal pay for work of equal value, we propose that the Commission work out an operative, practical orientated guidebook for use in social dialogue in companies and Member States. This guide should include guidelines and useful criteria for deciding the value of work and for comparing jobs. It should also include suggestions for possible job evaluation methods.
Amendment 81 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 6, Paragraph 1, indent 2 - specific policies to make it possible to reconcile work with family and personal life, covering childcare and other care services, flexible work organisation and hours, and affordable, reasonable and sustainable maternity, paternity, parental and family leave,
Amendment 82 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 6, Paragraph 1, indent 2 - specific policies to make it possible to reconcile work with family and personal life, covering
Amendment 83 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 6, Paragraph 1, indent 3 - concrete
Amendment 84 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 6, Paragraph 1, indent 4 - a clause in public contracts requiring respect for gender equality and equal pay for equal work.
Amendment 85 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 7, Paragraph 1, indent 4 a (new) - devising specific guidelines for the monitoring of pay differentials within the context of collective bargaining, to be made available on an internet site translated into various languages and accessible to all.
Amendment 86 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 8 Amendment 87 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 8, Paragraph 2 a (new) 8.2a. In spite of the existing legislation, inspections and punitive action are often woefully inadequate where the principle of equal pay is concerned. These matters need to be treated as a priority, and the agencies and bodies responsible for them must be provided with the necessary technical and financial resources.
Amendment 88 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 8, Paragraph 3, indent 3 Amendment 89 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 8, Paragraph 3, indent 3 a (new) - identification of offenders, which should be made public;
Amendment 90 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 8, Paragraph 3, indent 3 a (new) - identification of offenders, which should be made public;
Amendment 91 #
Annex to the draft motion for a resolution Recommendation 9, Paragraph 1 source: PE-483.791
2012/09/02
EMPL
140 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Deplores the fact that the Commission has not so far responded appropriately to the European Parliament’s resolution of 18 November 2008
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Deplores the fact that the Commission has not so far responded appropriately to the European Parliament’s resolution of 18 November 2008 and has not started work on a legislative initiative or made wide- ranging use of the ‘European Year of Equal Opportunities for All’ (2007) to tackle the problem of unequal pay for male and female workers effectively;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Deplores the fact that the Commission has not so far responded appropriately to the European Parliament’s resolution of 18 November 2008, or to its resolution of 10 February 2010, and has not started work on a legislative initiative to tackle the problem of unequal pay for male and female workers effectively;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Emphasises that the gender pay gap principally exists as a result of stereotypes and women being seen solely from the point of view of the traditional distribution of roles; therefore calls on the Member States to promote equal pay by setting up social initiatives at both national and local level;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2.
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Is very concerned that in the past decade progress has only been achieved very slowly, that the wage differential between men and women has remained persistently high in recent years and that, despite the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women’s hourly earnings in the EU27 were on average 17.5% less than men’s for the same work in 2009
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Is very concerned that in the past decade progress has only been achieved very slowly, that the wage differential between men and women has remained persistently high in recent years and that, despite the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women’s hourly earnings in the EU27 were on average 17.5% less than men’s for the same work in 20091;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Is very concerned that in the past decade progress has only been achieved very slowly, that the wage differential between men and women has remained persistently high in recent years and that, despite the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women’s hourly earnings in the EU27 were on average 17.5% less than men’s for the same work in 2009;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Is very concerned that in the past decade progress has only been achieved very slowly, that the wage differential between men and women has remained persistently high in recent years and that, despite the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women’s hourly earnings in the EU27 were on average 17.5% less than men’s for the same work in 20091 (up to 30% less in the private sector, equal merit and qualifications notwithstanding); is concerned at the very wide pay gap between highly-qualified women and men in some Member States; notes that the flexicurity strategy is not of a nature to reduce existing disparities in employment protection and pay between women and men;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Is very concerned that in the past decade progress has only been achieved very slowly, that the wage differential between men and women has remained persistently high in recent years and that, despite the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women’s hourly earnings in the EU27 were on average 17.5% less than men’s for the same work in 2009; notes that the flexicurity strategy is not of a nature to reduce existing disparities in employment protection and pay between women and men; stresses that women are among the sections of society worst affected by insecure employment and the social consequences of the crisis; points out that, according to the ILO report entitled ‘Global Employment Trends 2012: Preventing a deeper jobs crisis’, more women than men are in vulnerable employment (50.5%, as against 48.2%);
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Is very concerned that in the past decade progress has only been achieved very slowly, that the wage differential between men and women has remained persistently high in recent years and that, despite the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women’s hourly earnings in the EU27 were on average 17.
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Considers that protection of women through flexicurity contractual arrangements enhances social cohesion in the labour market, particularly for women who become mothers or may have caring responsibilities towards the elderly; notes that their working time arrangements should be sufficiently flexible to meet their needs and also to improve their work-life balance;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Calls on the Member States to recognize the real added value of women in their workplaces and to create adequate conditions to improve their employability and increase their participation in the labour market, through affordable care and child-care, parental leave schemes and flexible working conditions, particularly when women return to the labour market after long periods of inactivity, due to birth-giving or other family commitments
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 c (new) 2c. Calls on the European Commission to promote further research on flexicurity strategies in order to assess their impact on the gender pay gap and also determine how these strategies can tackle gender discrimination.
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Notes that there are already a significant body of legislation promoting compliance with the principle of equal treatment of men and women in areas such as employment and access to goods and services at EU level; Considers it necessary now to focus on better implementation of existing laws and to understand the problems of implementation before considering initiating any further legislative measures at European level;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Welcomes the Council Conclusions of 6.12.2010 calling on the Member States to take wide-ranging measures to overcome the causes of this pay inequality;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Emphasises that the pay gap widens to women’s disadvantage in proportion to the level of the position and qualifications held;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Points out that in some countries the pay gap widens to women’s disadvantage during the most difficult times for them, i.e. when they are of child-bearing age and as they approach retirement age;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Stresses that the causes underlying the gender pay gap remain numerous and complex; Considers that this inequality has a strong impact on the lives of many women, particularly after retirement age, as lower pay can result
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Considers that this inequality has a strong impact on the lives of women, particularly after retirement age, as lower pay results in smaller pensions, for which reason a higher proportion of women than men suffer poverty in old age – 22% as against 16%; stresses that in many cases the reason why retired women live in poverty is that they have undertaken care tasks, because it is more common for women to take temporary or part-time employment in order to combine work with family responsibilities; calls on the Commission and Member States therefore to continue their efforts to eliminate these inequalities and ensure equal treatment of men and women in relation to pensions;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Considers that this inequality has a strong impact on the lives of women, particularly after retirement age, as lower pay results in smaller pensions, for which reason a higher proportion of women than men suffer poverty in old age – 22% as against 16%; therefore calls on the Member States to investigate the extent to which the raising and care of family members – generally done by women – can be recognised in pensions;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Considers that this inequality has a strong negative impact on the lives of women, particularly after retirement age, as lower pay results in smaller pensions, for which reason a higher proportion of women than men suffer poverty in old age – 22% as against 16%;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Considers that female workers performing jobs of similar skill, effort and responsibility to men's should have equal opportunities at all ages for training, advancement, re-skilling and re-training, as well as pension rights and unemployment benefits equal to those applicable to men;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Believes that a reduction in the wage gap between women and men would have a positive impact on promoting an increase in parenthood and reducing the demographic trends which are gaining pace – dramatically in the case of the eastern part of Europe – and would improve the situation of women with children, particularly if they become single mothers, thereby reducing the risk of child poverty;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Considers that a labour market free of stereotypes could increase not just women’s income, but also Member States’ gross domestic product; notes that, according to the findings of several studies, if female participation on the labour market were to rise to 70%, matching the male rate, this would have a highly beneficial economic impact (between 4% and 8%) on EU GDP;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Stresses that failure to apply the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work or work of equal value’ undermines the Europe 2020 employment objectives. The more active involvement of women on the employment market helps enhance the sustainability of insurance schemes, particularly in the light of demographic trends;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Notes however, approaches consisting of measures tackling one or other cause of the pay gap in isolation have not proved adequate for closing pay gaps between men and women effectively;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Emphasises that, as well as focusing on private companies and the public sector, attention should also be paid to the unequal treatment of women in family businesses and in farming, where women are not only paid less than men but often receive no payment at all; calls for steps to be taken to raise public awareness of the impact that this situation has on the unfavourable position that women are in where social security and pensions are concerned;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Observes that statistics must be coherent, comparable, gender-specific
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Observes that statistics must be coherent, comparable, gender-specific and complete and must take account of new developments in the organisation of work; considers that, in assessing the pay gap, not only differences in gross hourly wages but also other aspects of individual pay and qualifications, such as contract type, professional experience, employment status and bonuses, should be taken into account;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Observes that statistics must be coherent, comparable, gender-specific and complete and must take account of new developments in the organisation of work; considers that, in assessing the pay gap, not only differences in gross hourly wages but also other aspects of individual pay and qualifications should be taken into account; notes that the European Institute for Gender Equality should compile statistics and carry out a comparative analysis on these issues;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Observes that statistics must be coherent, comparable, gender-specific and complete and must take account of new developments in the organisation of work; considers that, in assessing the pay gap, not only differences in gross hourly wages but also other aspects of individual pay and qualifications should be taken into account; considers that transparency of pay systems should be developed and awareness of pay promoted;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the Member States to implement gender mainstreaming strategies because gender issues overlap with child-care, tax policies and public procurement;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Maintains that greater female employability, especially in the top flight, could help to narrow gender pay gaps; points to the need for women to play a more active part in economic decision- taking, using their influence to bring about solutions encompassing a gender equality perspective; draws attention to studies which have found that there is a strong correlation between larger numbers of women in company management positions and higher company profits from assets, sales, and investment capital;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses that within the context of the EU2020 Strategy it explicitly sets a target of raising the employment rate for women and men aged 20-64 to 75% which can be promoted through measures to close the gender pay gap, to reinforce the training of women and to promote female entrepreneurship as part of a wider plan for economic recovery, taking into account Member States' relative starting positions and national circumstances;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Takes the view that employers ought to monitor wages – cash and non-cash remuneration – in relation to duties, qualifications and experience, taking gender issues into account; points out that firms’ remuneration policies, as well as the rules on granting allowances and bonuses, should be transparent;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Recalls that it is up to Member States to implement the EU2020 strategy and that Member States are best placed to allocate their own resources in terms of effectively achieving the agreed targets;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Stresses the need to take practical and ambitious measures to promote professional and occupational development under conditions of genuine gender equality; stresses that current work-life balancing arrangements are inadequate and are one of the reasons why part-time working is more common among women than among men;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Stresses the need to take measures to promote professional and occupational development under conditions of genuine gender equality; points out that this principle forms part of the concept of corporate social responsibility which is promoted at international and national level and needs to be developed in all the EU Member States;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Stresses the need to take measures to promote professional and occupational development under conditions of genuine gender equality; reaffirms the pressing need to establish the right to a proper balance as a right that is systematically recognised and safeguarded in the Member States;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Stresses the need to take measures to promote
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Stresses the need to take measures to promote professional and
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Considers that pay gaps are a cause and a consequence of gender inequality and that the only way to give practical effect to the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work or work of equal value’ is to adopt policies enabling family responsibilities to be shared equally between men and women;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Points out that there is a need to promote standards on fair and ethical conduct towards staff, with a particular focus on an equal and transparent remuneration system;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Notes that the pay gap is often linked to a series of legal, social and economic factors present in modern-day society;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Points out that family responsibilities limit women’s career options; notes that women are, for that reason, over- represented in part-time work, a fact which greatly reduces the duration of gainful employment, and make up most of the workforce in the informal economy, in which they are more likely to be in precarious jobs, more vulnerable to dismissal, and not properly covered by social security systems;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a new culture of shared responsibility, both in private life and at work,
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a new culture of shared responsibility, both in private life and at work, to replace the traditional distribution of roles between women and men; institutional adoption of tasks such as child-minding, neighbourhood services and care should also be promoted; the Member States are called on to make the cost of these tax- deductible;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a new culture of shared responsibility, both in private life and at work, to replace the traditional distribution of roles between women and men; proposes that a detailed study should be made of the economic results and possible changes in the employment market that this division of gender roles could produce;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a new culture of shared responsibility, both in private life and at work, to replace the traditional distribution of roles between women and men, while stepping up policies designed to reconcile the workplace and home life, including infrastructures for the care of children and the elderly and parental leave;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a new culture of shared responsibility, both in private life and at work, to replace the traditional distribution of roles between women and men and enable increased integration between family and career;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a new culture of shared responsibility, both in private life and at work,
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 6. Considers it a priority to promote a new culture of shared responsibility, both in private life and at work and when bringing up children with disabilities, to replace the traditional distribution of roles between women and men;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Points out to the Commission and the Member States that positive measures need to be taken for women and men, not least to enable them to return to work after devoting time to their families (bringing up children and/or caring for a sick or disabled relative), and policies promoted to help them (re)integrate into the labour market and hence regain financial independence;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Takes the view that initiatives and measures must be taken, principally in the field of education, at every stage and at both national and European level, to combat stereotyped perceptions of female employment as being associated with subsidiary household income, which have done much to cultivate and maintain the gender pay gap;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Stresses the need to broaden women’s career prospects and to encourage women to take up traditionally ‘male’ technical and scientific occupations;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that legislative and non- legislative measures are needed at the various levels
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that legislative and non- legislative measures are needed at
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that legislative and non- legislative measures are needed at the various levels in order to overcome the wage gap, horizontal and vertical exclusion and stereotyping of occupations and sectors as being typically the realm of women; stresses that such measures should promote the involvement of women in decision-making at all levels and in all sectors;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that training and policies providing support through the development of services play a fundamental role in the promotion of gender equality and stresses that legislative and non-
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that legislative and non- legislative measures are needed at the various levels in order to overcome the wage gap, horizontal and vertical exclusion and stereotyping of occupations and sectors as being typically the realm of women; deplores the fact that women with multiple disadvantages (disabled women, and women with minority or immigrant background) are even more affected by pay gap;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers that
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Maintains that measures need to be taken as a matter of urgency to combat wage discrimination, be it by revising the existing directive, drawing up phased industry-wide plans with clear-cut goals – such as narrowing the pay gap to 0.5% by 2020 – aimed at doing away with direct and indirect forms of discrimination, or encouraging collective bargaining and the training of equality advisers, remedying the inequality between women and men in terms of unpaid work, and laying down equality plans for factories and other workplaces; believes that transparency in wage determination should become the rule, so as to strengthen the bargaining position of women workers;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Deplores the fact that, although Parliament endorsed the revision of Directive 92/85/EEC, relating to maternity leave, on 20 October 2010, the Council has still not adopted a formal position on the proposal; points out that if the female employment rate is to reach 75% and pay gaps are to be narrowed, as called for in the EU 2020 strategy, further measures will have to be implemented to facilitate work-life balance; calls on the Member States to determine their position on these matters in order to pave the way for institutional negotiations to produce the necessary agreement;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to consider a legally- binding quota for the appointment of women in public and private enterprises – in particular to senior posts – thereby stressing the positive impact of such a principle (as can be seen in Norway, where there is near parity between the numbers of women and men in the largest listed enterprises);
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Calls on the Member States to combat the undeclared employment of women, since it is not only undermining the sustainability of insurance funds but also contributing to the full deregulation of women’s pay structures, causing increased poverty among women, particularly in later life;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Welcomes the introduction by the Commission of an EU equal pay day to highlight pay inequalities between men and women, as well as the development of software to measure the pay gap; takes the view that the Commission should continue the pay gap information and awareness- raising campaign in the 27 Member States;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Requests the Commission to submit to Parliament on the basis of Article 157 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a legislative proposal on the revision of the existing legislation relating to the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women,
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Calls for legal proceedings to enforce the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value to be made simpler, swifter and more accessible to employees;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Highlights the fact that women make a significant contribution to a country’s development. Closing the generation and gender gap may in fact mean a 13 % rise in GDP across the EU;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Calls on the Member States to review wage structures in female-dominated professions and occupations, as a means to break down gender stereotypes anchored in the pay gap problem;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 b (new) 7b. Calls on the Member States to ensure women's access to education, training and lifelong learning at all levels, and to encourage them to pursue scientific studies and careers in order to combat the existing sexist stereotypes; stresses that a higher number of young qualified women involved in science and technology would boost Europe's growth and competitiveness;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on the Commission to seek optimum coordination between Member States under the employment guidelines with a view to applying the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value; calls on Member States to adopt extensive legally binding rules in order to implement this principle in practical terms
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on Member States to adopt extensive legally binding rules in order to implement in practical terms the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value; emphasises that the situation of women in insecure employment arrangements must urgently be improved, as they are hit particularly badly and are vulnerable at times of social and economic crisis;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on Member States to adopt extensive legally binding rules in order to implement in practical terms the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value, as part of our common European responsibility to ensure fair employment and prevent undercutting of social protection, social rights, occupational and pension rights, and unemployment benefits;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on Member States to adopt
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on Member States to adopt extensive legally binding rules in order to implement in practical terms, and without having the opposite effect, the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on Member States to adopt extensive legally binding rules in order to implement in practical terms the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value where the same employer is concerned;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Calls on Member States to adopt extensive legally binding rules in order to implement in practical terms the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value in the same place;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to oppose inequality in pay between the sexes in all EU policies and national programmes, and in particular in those geared towards the fight against poverty;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Notes that the EU’s concept of flexicurity is not well suited to solving the problems of gender-specific pay inequality and in-work poverty;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 9. Stresses th
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 9. Stresses that the social partners have an important role to play in pay negotiations at all levels in order to tackle unequal pay for male and female workers and to combat discrimination against women, including in connection with access to employment and working conditions;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Points to the importance of negotiation and collective bargaining in combating discrimination against women, especially as regards access to employment, pay, working conditions, career advancement, and vocational training;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 10 10. Notes that the Commission’s measures must be directly addressed not only to Member States and the social partners but also to equal rights agencies, women’s groups, women’s initiatives and community and occupational equal opportunities officials who could provide training on gender issues – with special regard to the gender pay gap – in particular for social partners, lawyers, judges and ombudsmen;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 10 10. Notes that the Commission’s measures must be directly addressed not only to Member States and the social partners but also to equal rights agencies and associations;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Maintains that the concept of ‘work of equal value’ needs to be clarified more fully; considers that the duties serving to determine the ‘equal value’ of different kinds of work should be assessed on the basis of objective criteria and non- discriminatory analysis; also believes that, when evaluating ‘equal pay’ and laying down wage scales, it is necessary to factor in the individual components of the pay- packet, in particular the basic salary and fringe benefits;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Member States
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Member States and social partners to adopt measures against discrimination on grounds of gender, against inequalities of training, against segregation of the labour market and to promote a successful balance between work and private life and complete transparency with regard to pay, and to include them in legislation or collective agreements;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 11. Calls on the Member States and social partners to adopt measures against discrimination on grounds of gender, against inequalities of training between men and women, against segregation of the labour market and to promote a successful balance between work and private life and complete transparency with regard to pay;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Calls on the Member States, in cooperation with the social partners, to promote gender-balanced employment policies and enforce a uniform gender- neutral job evaluation which should be applied to employers, in order to fight the gender pay gap and discrimination at work; stresses the need to strike a good work-life balance through high-quality childcare and flexible family-friendly work arrangements;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Maintains that the appropriate effective legal procedures are required in order to eliminate pay gaps; recognises the usefulness of labour inspections in this area and considers that judges, lawyers, and labour inspectors must be given specific training and opportunities to acquire the necessary expertise in wage discrimination issues;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Emphasises that, for the pay gap between men and women to be reduced in practice, the measures in the European Strategy for growth and employment need to be implemented and support given to the exchange of best practices at Union level, whenever possible with the involvement of the social partners;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 а (new) 11а. Takes the view that the procedures and mechanisms for defending the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and for prohibiting any and every form of gender-based discrimination need to be improved and simplified;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Encourages the Member States to provide adequate financial support and appropriate training to women wishing to set up businesses, with a view to fostering female entrepreneurship;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 b (new) 11b. Reminds the Member States of their commitments regarding a review of the effect that employment and tax policies have on the pay gap;
Amendment 102 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 12. Considers that, in view of the lack of progress, the Member States should give consideration to
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 12. Considers that, in view of the lack of progress, the Member States should give consideration to effective measures against employers who contravene the principle of equal pay, and in particular it should be possible to lodge complaints on the grounds of wage discrimination;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 12. Considers that, in view of the lack of progress, the Member States should give consideration to effective measures and lay down penalties against employers who contravene the principle of equal pay;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 12. Considers that, in view of the lack of progress, the Member States should give consideration to effective and, where appropriate, legislative measures against employers who contravene the principle of equal pay;
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Calls on the Member States and businesses to take the necessary steps to make pay more transparent;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – introductory part 13. Considers that a combination of strategies and measures at national level and where appropriate at EU level through the OMC, taking account of the gender mainstreaming principle, can eliminate the gender pay gap and
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point a (a) specific measures to make it possible to reconcile work, study, training and further training with family and private life through access to care services (which must be affordable, easily accessible and independent of employment status and type of employment contract), through working-time patterns that are adapted to the needs of employed people, particularly single parents, and through maternity, paternity, paternal and family leave in conjunction with the possibility of smooth reintegration into work,
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point a (a) specific measures to make it possible to reconcile work, training and further training with family and private life; in this connection, access to childcare services is of key importance to equal participation by women in the labour market,
Amendment 111 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point a (a) specific measures to make it possible to reconcile work,
Amendment 112 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point a (a) specific measures to make it possible to reconcile work
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point a (a) specific measures to make it possible to reconcile work, training and further training with family and private life through for example the promotion of flexicurity,
Amendment 114 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point b Amendment 115 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point b (b) appropriate fiscal and social security policies, including measures to dismantle the significant disadvantages in retirement pensions owing to work interruptions and part-time work by parents, and gender-specific measures designed to compensate for unfair and unjustified pay differences, to enhance the quality of female employment and to provide for atypical services with regard to care within the family or its broader environment,
Amendment 116 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point b (b) appropriate fiscal and social security policies, including measures such as providing childcare facilities and flexible working conditions making it possible for women to reconciliate work and caring responsibilities,
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point b (b) appropriate fiscal and social security policies and family protection measures,
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point c (c) practical measures to be implemented by
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point c (c) practical measures to be implemented by the social partners and equal rights agencies (pursuant to Article 157(4) TFEU) to overcome the pay gap and exclusion at the various contractual and sectoral levels, such as obliging social partners to conclude pay agreements, to undertake regular investigations in relation to equal pay, to ensure the implementation of companies' equality plans, the setting of qualitative and quantitative targets and benchmarking, and the exchange of best practice validated by the parties concerned and accompanied by accounts of the obstacles and difficulties encountered,
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point d (d) inclusion of a clause on respect for gender equality and equal payment in public procurement contracts
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point d (d) inclusion of a clause on respect for gender equality and equal payment in public procurement contracts and creation of a special quality certificate which would be awarded to undertakings and confer on them certain advantages in terms of access to national, local and European support measures and funding and increase their chances of securing public contracts, and consideration of the optimal application of those policies in the context of public procurement,
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point d (d) inclusion of a clause on respect for gender equality and equal payment in public procurement contracts and creation of a special quality certificate, stresses however, that these actions must be proportionate;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point d (d) inclusion of a clause on respect for gender equality and equal payment in public procurement contracts and creation of a special quality certificate and a workplace equality certificate,
Amendment 124 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e (e) adoption of measures to implement the policy of equality and equal payment by businesses, such as an obligation for businesses to draw up a report every two years on earnings differentials in their undertaking;
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e (e) adoption of measures to implement the policy of equality and equal payment by businesses, bearing in mind the specificity of SMEs;
Amendment 126 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e (e) adoption of measures where appropriate to implement the policy of equality and equal payment by businesses;
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e a (new) (ea) the development of a European equal pay quality certificate in cooperation with social partners and associations, which institutions, undertakings and authorities could use to advertise their compliance with specific criteria in relation to equal pay, e.g. wage transparency; (Justification: at a time of skills shortages, female employees would be able to make a more informed choice of employer if the latter were able to provide proof of compliance with equal pay criteria in the form of a quality certificate.)
Amendment 128 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point (e) (e) adoption of measures to implement the policy of equality and equal payment for women and men by businesses;
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e a (new) (ea) establish as an objective the reduction of the gender pay gap by 1% each year, in order to achieve a target of 10% reduction by 2020;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e a (new) (ea) a list of examples for overcoming gender and pay discriminations,
Amendment 131 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e b (new) (eb) information and guidelines on practical solutions of redressing pay gap,
Amendment 132 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 – point e c (new) (ec) developing transparent and neutral work evaluation systems for assessing whether job descriptions and pay criteria are ensuring non-discrimination,
Amendment 133 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Proposes that the European Parliament should offer a 'Women and Business in Europe' prize that could be awarded to employers (undertakings, institutions and authorities) which lead the way in promoting women, supporting female managers and practicing equal pay; (Justification: employers should enjoy a competitive advantage if they create a women-friendly working environment. A prize could be beneficial when competing for skilled female employees. Furthermore, such a contest would foster the exchange of best practice.)
Amendment 134 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 14 14. Considers it necessary to interpret and implement Article 157(1) and (2) TFEU appropriately
Amendment 135 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 14 а (new) 14а. Notes that, although the principle of equal pay for women and men for equal work or work of equal value is enshrined in EU law, it is clear in practice that it is not fully applied; underscores, in this regard, the need to analyse the causes of the problem and to seek appropriate tools for resolving it, including through wider use of European Social Fund resources;
Amendment 136 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 15 a (new) Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Highlights the fact that all too often women, in addition to the disparity in their pay, have fewer rights and safeguards than their male colleagues; calls therefore on the Commission to put an end to this discrimination by following up the resolution of the European Parliament of 20 October 2010 on improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding;
Amendment 138 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 15 а (new) 15а. In the light of the economic crisis and of demographic changes, considers equal pay for women and men for equal work and an absence of discrimination with regard to remuneration to be of major importance in terms of competitiveness, economic growth and ensuring that women in the European Union can live in dignity;
Amendment 139 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Maintains that workers’ and employers’ organisations and other appropriate bodies, such as government gender equality commissions, should be involved in the adoption of policies and measures under the Member States’ national programmes for equality at work; believes that the purpose of their involvement should be to improve understanding of, and publicise, best practices and laws aimed at promoting wider application of equal pay and to set up systems for monitoring and oversight of their implementation;
Amendment 140 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Calls on the Commission to submit to Parliament an analysis showing which legal acts at EU and/or national level would be an appropriate means of bringing about a significant reduction in the pay gap in the shortest possible time.
source: PE-480.870
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History
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