On 21 December 2022 the Member States approved the compromise text on the pay transparency Directive as agreed upon during the final trilogue meeting on 15 December 2023. Sharing the objective of gender equality, Ceemet members are deeply concerned by the increased administrative and financial burden following the requirements that are to be imposed on MET industries, particularly SMEs. This is especially worrying for companies in the context of the energy and economic crisis.
Even if the provisional agreement exempts companies with less than 100 employees, a considerable part of SMEs will suffer heavy financial and administrative burden. This while the Directive will not have a strong impact on equal pay. Ceemet therefore strongly regrets that the negotiators did not stick to the threshold of 250 employees, as defended by both the Council and the Commission.
Ceemet members remind the EU Institutions that MET industries have already started to seriously address the gender pay gap. Employers in the industries are also committed to the recruitment of women, as they are still underrepresented in the scientific and technological sectors. They also regularly organise communication campaigns to promote STEM.
Delphine Rudelli, Ceemet DG, prompted that “on this topic, social partners play a crucial role in enforcing collective agreements establishing arrangements on pay transparency. Maintaining social dialogue to bring concrete proposals connecting to the ground is necessary.” Any text adopted by the co-legislators should therefore fully respect the autonomy of social partners and safeguard existing national industrial systems.