Germany: Minister for Employment and Social Affairs presents a bill to reduce the gender pay gap

The social-democrat Minister Olaf Scholz introduced a bill on "wage equality" to "protect women against wage discrimination." The bill provides for an extension of WCs' intervention and consultation rights on the issue, based on a statistical report of the wage gap in every company. Since the law cannot be voted before the September 27 elections, the conservatives accuse Mr. Scholz of "electioneering" and thinks that the Logib-D system, presented in March by conservative Minister for Family and Women, Ursula von der Leyen, already allows businesses to intercede on behalf of wage equality. (Ref. 090829)
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The bill presented by Mr. Scholz is aimed at creating concrete tools allowing works councils to restore wage equality between men and women in businesses. In average, in Germany, women’s wages are 23% lower than men’s wages (-24% in the west and -6% in the east). For similar job, similar qualifications and same age, men still earn 12% more than women.

Obligation to analyze the wage gap. The new law should allow WCs and the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (Antidiskriminierungsstelle) to demand

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