Brussels, 18/07/2007
Among those factors are job segregation and stereotypes, the general undervaluing of women’s work, the unequal division of care and unpaid work between men and women at home, the vicious circle of a long hours culture for men and part-time strategies for women leading to an overrepresentation of women in low-wage jobs with few career prospects and lack of pension rights, poor facilities to improve work-life balance for men and women forcing women to take frequent career breaks, and the absence of women in decision-making and pay bargaining.
In their 2005 Framework of Actions on Gender Equality, the European social partners recognised their own important role in addressing these questions and in tackling the pay gap.
Said ETUC General Secretary John Monks: “The ETUC is of the opinion that the social partners’ commitment can greatly benefit from supportive action by public authorities, Member States and the EU, while respecting social partners’ autonomy in collective bargaining.”
The ETUC welcomes today’s Commission Communication on reducing the pay gap, which proposes improving the legal framework and its implementation, stepping up action in the framework of the European Employment Strategy (EES), encouraging employers and public authorities to play a stronger role in eliminating unequal pay, and supporting exchange of good practices.
“However, we would like to see some more concrete measures, including the re-introduction of a specific target and timetable on the elimination of the pay gap in the EES,” said ETUC Confederal Secretary Catelene Passchier. “We are also very concerned about growing wage inequalities around Europe, especially in areas and jobs not covered by collective bargaining, and would like to see more explicit support for collective bargaining as an important tool to strengthen the position of women in the workplace and the labour market. Particular initiatives must be taken to address the wage penalties apparently linked to working part time, which means an evaluation of the Part Time Directive prescribing equal treatment between full-time and part-time workers.”