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TRADE UNIONS AND LOBBY GROUPS have registered their profound disappointment with proposals put forward by the European Commission for a new directive on gender discrimination outside the workplace. Following the first anti-discrimination package now hitting the statute books of Member States (see page 6) the EU summit at Nice in 2000 recommended a further directive as part of the Social Policy Agenda. The EU's 'Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men' strongly recommended in February 2002 that the new directive should cover a wide number of areas including discrimination in health and education, degrading images in advertising and the media generally and gender balance in governmental bodies. During last summer the Commission consulted widely on the proposed measure with groups including pensioners and the European Women's Lobby (EWL) as well as with bodies representing the pensions, insurance and media industries.
Now the Commission's proposal has been published it can be seen that they have taken a much narrower approach. The directive will only apply to the provision of goods and services and even here the tax system will be excluded, against the wishes of the advisory committee. The Commission make much of the effect which the new law will have in the field of insurance where men are routinely charged more for life policies on the basis that they have a shorter average life span while women pay more for annuities and pensions because it is thought they will have more years in which to claim them. This practice is maintained despite the influence on life expectancy of many factors other than gender. As more and more women enter the labour market the problem is exacerbated as greater numbers require pension and health policies. Insurance companies will, however, be given a six year transition period to change their ways.
It is just such concessions that have convinced unions and others that big business lobbyists have produced a watering-down of the directive. 'We are very unhappy with the European Commission's back-tracking in this area' commented Fotini Sianou, President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Women's Committee while General Secretary John Monks drew comparisons with the directive on race discrimination 'How can we accept that the new gender directive will tackle access to goods and services only, while the race directive also tackles education and social advantages ?', he said. The ETUC feels that the Commission'has caved into pressure from industry and has effectively ignored the voice of millions of women who have been calling for this directive for years'. The EWL expects further legislation to plug the gaps in the proposal. It 'strongly hopes it is only the first of a series of legal texts covering all areas of life, which will truly make a difference for women in Europe'. President Lydia la Rivière-Zijdel thought that her members ' feeling would be one of 'strong disappointment and of having been let down by Europe'.
Commissioner Diamantopoulou seemed to be aware of the influence of business in her statement that 'As with past breakthroughs in the field of gender equality, it is being greeted with pessimism from some parts of industry' but maintained that 'This is a ground breaking proposal, calling for gender solidarity in European society'.
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The proposal for a 'directive implementing the principle of
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http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/news/ |
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'Adobe Acrobat' software to read it can be downloaded free from:: |
AFTER A WAVE of industrial action, and recent benefit cutbacks by the new centre-right government, unions in the Netherlands have surprisingly agreed a two year pay freeze. In return they want the government to restore some of the worst cuts. One reason for the outbreak of harmony could be the stagnation of the Dutch economy with exports costing an estimated 3.5% more than those from neighbouring countries.
IN PORTUGAL THE government's drive to reform the Labour Code continues. In the summer parliament approved some amendments but only because nineteen contentious issues were put aside for further consultations between the social partners. Reforms currently rejected by the UGT and CGTP federations include limiting trade union representation and time off for union duties, adding in tips and bonuses to the minimum wage and reducing sick pay.
SWEDISH BLUE COLLAR union federation LO has compiled a report which shows the pay gap to be widening between manual and clerical/managerial workers. In 2002 white collar salaries rose by 3.7% and blue collar by 3.4% leaving a 43% differential. The gender gap has hardly changed since the 1970s with women earning an average of 82% of men's pay.
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