Brussels, 30/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is continuing its crusade against salary inequality between men and women.
In a speech signed by three Commissioners, it recalls that 2 November is the symbolic day of the year from which women are no longer paid. “It is on this day that women cease to earn a salary, unlike their male counterparts, who are paid until 31 December”, said Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioners Thyssen (Employment) and Jourová (Gender Equality).
In Europe, the average salary of women is effectively 16.3% lower than for men. In practice, this means that women work 58 days a year for free, for work of the same value. “Europe has rules in place on salary equality. But they are not sufficiently applied on the ground by the member states”, the three Commissioners stress.
Readers may recall that the European Commission has sent eight member states (Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom) recommendations on gender equality, work-life balance and/or the participation of women on the employment market. With a gap of 29.9%, Estonia came under particular fire. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)
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