Dear President, 

We are contacting you to raise with you industriAll Europe’s concern about the Commission work programme. We understand from the ETUC that the EU Commission is considering a plan is put the EU Pay Transparency Directive and the whole Gender Equality Strategy onto ice. 

In our assessment such an approach would be a mistake with far reaching consequences. We urge you to reconsider. 

President, you made gender equality a cornerstone of your Presidency. Binding Pay Transparency was one of your first 100 days commitments. Action to secure gender equality cannot be called into question even in times of COVID-19 crisis. Equal pay is a requirement of the EU Treaty, it is not a fair weather option. 

The announced Pay Transparency Directive must go ahead. It must provide workers and their unions with the rights and tools to demand transparency and achieve correction in case of inequality. 

Moreover, the current crisis has shown the need for a Gender Equality Strategy that thoroughly reevaluates the value of work that cleaners, retail, transport, care and healthcare workers provide to our society. Throughout the EU, this key work is predominantly undertaken by women. It is long past time that these workers secure a permanent income boost and earn a fair wage with adequate benefits. This needs to be tackled as part of the recovery, working women should not be put to the back of the queue to be dealt with after the recovery. 

We can’t repeat what happened after the 2008 crisis when companies bounced back but working people and gender equality paid the price. 

I look forward to your positive response and we remain available to assist you in your endeavours to secure an EU where Gender Equality is a reality for all.

Luc Triangle

Letter in PDF format