In Spain, the left-wing coalition government is now forcing companies to publish the pay differentials between men and women. When will we have the same device?
Since Tuesday, October 13, 2020, Spanish companies with more than 50 employees will have to publish the pay differences between their employees according to their gender. An obligation following a decree approved by the government, reports France Info. This initiative, which we can only welcome, should enable employees and unions to be able to demand equal pay in companies or before the courts. "It is crucial to know how the remuneration system works, because this is where all the discrimination we suffer as women is seen, during our professional careers and our lives", said the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Diaz.
Henceforth, a grid will therefore be published. According to the law, it includes the average and median salary in force in the company "detailed by sex", for each professional category or type of workstation, in order to respect a "obligation of equal pay for work of equal value". The structures have six months to comply with this regulation. Spanish women earned on average 14% less than their male counterparts in 2018. A slightly worse score than the European (14.8%) and French (15.5%) average, according to the latest Eurostat data, based on gross hourly wages.
And in France ?
With us, an index of professional equality between women and men was created in February 2019. "All companies with at least 50 employees must calculate and publish their Professional Equality Index between men and women, every year on March 1", can we read on the website of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Integration. This index includes five criteria: the gender pay gap (40 points), the gap in annual increases (20 points), the gap in promotions (15 points), increases on return from maternity leave ( 15 points) and finally the presence of women among the highest salaries in the company (10 points). But as France Info reminds us, according to the unions, this formula remains imperfect. Spain is therefore an example to follow.