The European Parliament is preparing its position on the gender equality strategy, scheduled for 26 February, including binding measures related to transparency in compensation. In a debate in Strasbourg on 13 January, it called on the European Commission to show courage when it presents its proposals on this issue in early March.
On Monday, MEPs restricted themselves to an exchange of views. But they are expected to adopt a resolution on this issue at their plenary session on 29 and 30 January.
“We act on the basis of facts, and the facts are that women are paid less than men. And it is also a fact that the Commission will act on this fact”, said the Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, during the debate.
Although the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’ is enshrined in the EU Treaty, the pay gap between women and men in the European Union is 16%, with wide disparities between Member States. The situation is even worse when women reach retirement age: the amount of their pension is 40% less than that of men.
“There is a lack of transparency and many women don’t even know that they are underpaid”, added Ms Dalli. She announced that she would look at “a range of options on transparency, such as giving employees information on compensation levels and requiring companies to report compensation levels and analyse this data”.
During the debate, Members spoke almost unanimously in calling on the European Commission to show political courage. The Chair of the Women’s Rights Committee, Evelyn Regner (S&D, Austria), even called for “sanctions in case of discrimination” and “compensation for those who suffer damage”. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)