PL MEP Cyrus Engerer has described the agreement on the new Pay Transparency Directive as a big and positive win for all European workers, a PL statement read.
“This is a positive win for all workers across the European Union and I encourage Member States governments to apply the new law without any delay and not wait for the 3 year transposition period allowed in the law”, Engerer said while he explained the new rights acquired by employees after an agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
“Every vacancy advert must now include the salary attached to the job that the chosen applicant would have. This information must be given in advance of any interview the applicant would be asked to attend”, Engerer said as he was explaining the new rights employees will have over their salary information prior to their employment as well as during their employment.
“Workers not have the right to request information from their employer on their individual pay level and on the average pay levels, broken down by sex, for categories of workers doing the same work or work of equal value. This right will exist for all employees, irrespective of the size of the company”, Engerer said.
He explained how this directive works to expose the gender pay gap in large companies and how this pay gap would need to be addressed through a new mechanism introduced in the law.
“It is unacceptable that workers doing the same work or work of same value and who have the same experiences and qualifications are paid differently to each other”, Engerer stated. “This law does not only speak of the new rights acquired by workers in the European Union but also about the remedies that must be given to those who would have been discriminated against”, Engerer explained.
“From the moment this law takes effect in a Member State, employees or their representatives – Unions – can initiate legal procedures so that the workers who would have been discriminated can receive compensation, including full recovery of back pay and related bonuses or payments in kind, while the burden of proof will be on the employer to prove that there was no discrimination in relation to pay”, concluded Engerer.
The Pay Transparency Directive must come into force in all Member States in three years time at the latest, the PL said.