By Andrea Barbara Schuessler
Global leaders from governments, trade unions, civil society, and corporations agreed Sept. 26 at a meeting of the United Nations’ Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) to reduce the gender pay gap by 2030.
"Gender pay gaps are not only unfair for those who suffer them, but they are also detrimental to our economies," Angel Gurria, secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said Sept. 26. "If you do not have equal pay, productivity suffers, competitiveness suffers, and the economy at large suffers."
"It is in our power," Gurria added, "to make an immediate improvement in the quality of life of hundreds of millions of women and their families if we succeed in delivering equal pay for men and women."
Pledges Global companies including IKEA, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Nestle, and Novartis committed to "reviewing hiring and promotional practices to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers, to identify and promote best practices that ensure fairness for all workers, and to implement policies prohibiting discrimination based on gender," according to information provided by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Global government leaders pledged to "implement legislation that prohibits unequal remuneration in the public and private sectors, establish national commissions that monitor the compliance of equal remuneration laws, and launch national awareness campaigns on the importance of equal pay," the OECD said.
The International Organization of Employers pledged to strengthen its actions to promote gender equality and nondiscrimination as part of its commitment to the International Labor Organization’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, while paying special attention to gender-based discrimination in pay, the OECD said.
‘A Matter of Urgency’ "The fact that women across the globe are still being paid less than men for work of equal value is one of the most visible, tangible, and pervasive manifestations of discrimination," ILO director general Guy Ryder said. "It is a matter of urgency to make sure the message is finally heard and things start to change."
"A strong social protection system is critical to reducing the gender pay gap," executive director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said. "Where women have access to paid maternity leave, to affordable child and elderly care services, and to sustainable infrastructure, we see an increase in women engaging in paid work. This will be the theme of next year’s Commission on the Status of Women, and I count on support from the EPIC to accelerate progress on improving social protection systems."
published in Bloomberg Law October 12, 2018