Gender pay gap: How the EU is promoting greater equality in pay

13 percent: That is how much less women earn compared to men within the European Union. Politicians are now taking action against discriminatory wage differences, as both the EU Parliament and the member states have adopted binding rules on greater wage transparency, as reported by Zeit. These stipulate that large companies and firms (with more than 250 employees) must in future submit an annual report showing the pay gap between female and male employees. If this figure is 5 percent or more, the company is required to conduct a mandatory investigation together with employee representatives. In addition, employees can demand compensation if the principle of equal pay is violated. Furthermore, confidentiality clauses regarding salary will be prohibited in the future. The new regulations will come into force shortly after publication in the EU Official Journal and must be implemented by member states within the next three years.

We were also interested in the following topics:

• Inclusion: We have already reported on the plans of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to create a more inclusive labor market through legal regulations. The draft bill has now been passed by the Bundestag.

• Collective bargaining: Employers and employees were also unable to reach an agreement in the second round of negotiations in the energy sector. The IG BCE and ver.di unions have now called for a warning strike on Thursday.

• International laws: In 2019, the General Conference of the International Labour Organization adopted a convention on eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. This convention has now been ratified by the German Bundestag.

• Politics as a career: Work in politics is often characterized by uncertainty, short project cycles, and long working hours. PartyParty has written about the advantages of these career paths (in English).

• Artificial intelligence: Better to ask ChatGPT than to do your own research? This can have negative consequences at work if confidential information is passed on. t3n describes the problems this can cause, using the example of tech giant Samsung.

• Health in the workplace: When the working environment causes symptoms of illness, this is referred to as sick building syndrome. An occupational physician knows what can be done about it when printers, air conditioning systems, etc. make people ill.

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