21/04/2020 (Agence Europe) – Following leaks on the revision of the European Commission's work programme as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12467/23), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) urged the Commission on Tuesday 21 April to keep in place binding measures to promote equal pay for men and women in its current programme for the year 2020. Indeed, the Commission is proposing to postpone the Action Plan on Gender Equality until 2021. The reason given by the Commission is to avoid increasing the administrative burden for those companies affected by COVID-19. For the Deputy General Secretary of the ETUC, Esther Lynch, any further delay would be “a betrayal” for millions of women, noting that this is a principle that has been enshrined in European treaties “since 1957”. (PH)