MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the application of the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value
6.9.2013 - (2013/2678(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure
Edit Bauer on behalf of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
B7‑0387/2013
European Parliament resolution on the application of the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Articles 8, 157 and 225 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
– having regard to Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation (recast)[1],
– having regard to Article 11(1)(d) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the UN General Assembly in its Resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979,
– having regard to the Commission’s Communication of 21 September 2010 entitled ‘Strategy for equality between women and men 2010-2015’ (COM(2010)0491),
– having regard to the Commission’s Communication of 5 March 2010 entitled ‘A strengthened commitment to equality between women and men – A Women’s Charter’ (COM(2010)0078),
– having regard to its resolution of 24 May 2012 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[2],
– having regard to the European Added Value Assessment on ‘Application of the principle of equal pay for men and women for equal work of equal value’[3],
– having regard to the study on ‘The gender gap in pensions in the EU’[4],
– having regard to the question to the Commission on equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value (O-000078/2013 – B7-0218/2013),
– having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, in its resolution of 24 May 2012 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, Parliament requested the Commission to review Directive 2006/54/EC by 15 February 2013 at the latest, taking on board the Parliament’s recommendations, including the revision of existing legislation;
B. whereas, as a result of labour market policies seeking to do away with the principle and practice of collective bargaining, salaries are increasingly being negotiated on an individual basis, resulting in a lack of information on and transparency of individualised pay systems, which leads to increased pay disparities among employees at similar levels and can cause a widening of the gender pay gap;
C. whereas progress in narrowing the gender pay gap is extremely slow, and in some Member States the gap has even widened; whereas, despite the significant body of legislation in force for almost 40 years, the actions taken and resources spent (the disparity at EU level was 17.7% in 2006, 17.6% in 2007, 17.4% in 2008, 16.9% in 2009 and 16.4% in 2010), the gender pay gap is still a persistent problem and currently stands at 16.2% across the EU; whereas the 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 negative effects of the gender pay gap on women extend into their retirement age and women receive pensions which are, on average, 39% lower than those of men;
D. whereas, according to academic research on closing the gender pay gap, different factors need to be considered and addressed properly, such as differences in activity and employment rates, in wage structures, in the composition of the workforce and in remuneration, as well as other macroeconomic and institutional factors;
E. whereas experience has shown that good practices or soft law measures alone rarely serve as incentives, and that the expected peer learning effect does not materialise;
F. whereas, according to the European Added Value Assessment conclusions, a one-percentage-point decrease in the gender pay gap will increase economic growth by 0.1 %, and closing the gender pay gap is of crucial importance in the current economic downturn;
G. whereas slow progress in closing the gender pay gap has significant demographic, social, legal and economic consequences;
1. Regrets the slow rate of progress in narrowing the gender pay gap in the European Union;
2. Emphasises that reducing gender inequalities by closing the gender pay gap will bring benefits not only for women but also for society as a whole, and that closing the gender pay gap should not be seen as a cost but as an investment;
3. Reiterates that Directive 2006/54/EC, in its current form, is not sufficiently effective to tackle the gender pay gap and achieve the objective of gender equality in employment and occupation;
4. Requests the Commission to support Member States in reducing the gender pay gap by at least five percentage points annually with the aim of eliminating the gender pay gap by 2020;
5. Recognises that a multi-level, multifaceted approach calls for the Commission to support Member States in promoting good practices and implementing policies to address the gender pay gap;
6. Urges the Commission to revise Directive 2006/54/EC without delay and to propose amendments to it in accordance with Article 32 of the Directive and on the basis of Article 157 TFEU, following the detailed recommendations set out in the annex to the Parliament’s resolution of 24 May 2012;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.
- [1] OJ L 204, 26.7.2006, p. 23.
- [2] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2012)0225.
- [3] EAVA 4/2013.
- [4] http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/130530_pensions_en.pdf