19 Amendments of Catherine BEARDER related to 2014/2160(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
- having regard to the Gender Equality Index Report of the European Institute for Gender Equality;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas economic independence is a prerequisite for European citizens, both women and men, to exercise control and make genuine choices in their lives;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the practical application of provisions on equal pay in the Member States was acknowledged as one of the most problematic areas; whereas, according to the latest figures, the gender pay gap still expersists, standing at 16.4 %, andan average of 16.4 % across the EU, but with significant differences between member states; whereas despite existing EU legislation and soft-law recommendations, progress in this area is extremely low;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas relativelimited progress has been made as regards women’s employment rates, but despite the existing framework at EU and national level, the level of occupational and sectoral segregation of women and men into different types of jobs remains relatively high, a situation which also has an impact on the gender pay gap over the course of a lifetime; whereas vertical segregation, whereby women feature predominantly in lower-paid occupations or are in lower-level positions in the hierarchy, also contributes to the gender pay gap;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas motherhood and care for the elderly, disabled persons and other dependents represent additional work that is for the most part carried out by women; whereas this work is neitherrarely paid nor adequately valued by society, even though it contributes to social welfare and can be measured by economic indicators such as GDP; whereas this results in the widening of the income gaps that exist between women and men and detrimentally impacts women's career paths through the ‘costs’ of the years spent out of the labour market or of reduced hours due to part-time arrangements; whereas the impact of these elements on lifetime earnings varies across the Member States depending on the level of support given to parents, including childcare provision, by either legislative measures or collective agreements;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas equality bodies are present in all member states but their work and impact varies greatly depending on their level of independence and their competences and resources; whereas equality bodies should be adequately supported and strengthened in the performance of their tasks aswith regards to the promotion, monitoring and support of equal treatment in an independent and effective manner;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates the need for clear definitions of different concepts at EU level, of terms such as gender pay gap, gender pension gap, remuneration, direct and indirect pay discrimination, work treated as ‘equal’ and work of the same value; points out that due to the various types of work contracts that exist, both statutory and contractual, the current calculation of the gender pay gap can lead to a distorted understanding of the problem of equal pay; calls on the Commission to analyse these possible distortions and propose adequate solutions, including the introduction of mandatory pay audits for companies listed on stock exchanges in the EU Member States, except for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), and the possibility of sanctions in cases of non-compliance;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to map the application of the existing job evaluation and classification systems which vary considerably; calls on the Commission to introduce guidelines for gender neutral job evaluation and classification systems, including specific measures, such as the proportional representation of women and men on evaluation committees, the development of gender neutral job descriptions and of weighting grids, and the definition of clear criteria for assessing the value of work;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points out that a clear and harmonised job classification system and greater wage transparency will improve access to justice; notes that several Member States have already taken specific wage transparency measures; underlines the disparity that exists between these measures and takes note of the 2014 Commission recommendations on wage transparency, although regrets its non-binding nature and lack of formal sanctions; calls on the Commission to evaluate the real impact of these recommendations;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the fact that occupational pensions schemes are to be considered as pay and that the principle of equal treatment applies to these schemes and recognises that women's access to occupational pension schemes is more restricted, due to shorter working hours, shorter length of service and horizontal and vertical gender segregation in the labour market, the gender pay gap and contribution based schemes rarely take care related breaks and involuntary part-time work into account; calls on the Commission to examine the impact of the shift from statutory state pensions towards occupational and private schemes on the gender pension gap; calls on the Commission to monitor closely and report on the implementation of this principle as the transposition has proved to be unclear in some Member States and the distinction between statutory and occupational schemes still poses problems in certain cases;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Member States to safeguard their maternity entitlements, to take measures to prevent the unfair dismissal of employees during pregnancy and when returning to work after maternity leave; calls on the Council to finally adopt a common position on the revision of the directive on the implementation of measures to promote improvements in the health and safety at work of pregnant workers, workers who have recently given birth and women who are breastfeeding; the so-called Maternity Leave Directive, and the Women on Boards directive
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, by creating effective monitoring systems, to take actions to improve the collection of data on harassment and discrimination cases on the grounds of sex, including as regards discrimination related to pregnancy and maternity and other forms of leave; calls on the Commission to include an assessment of the implementation of Article 26 (regarding sexual harassment) in its evaluation report on the implementation of Directive 2006/54/EC;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Points out that access to justice in this field is limited due to several causes, such as the length or costs of the procedures, the challenges faced by equality bodies in some member states, the lack of wage transparency, the absence of free legal aid orand the fear of victim stigmatisation in the workplace; underlines the fact that the application of the burden of proof rule also poses problems in several Member States; calls on the Member States to support equality bodies, trade unions, community organisations and NGOs in taking an active role in providing assistance to victims of discrimination;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates that equality bodies should have the powercompetences and adequate resources and personnel to monitor and report effectively and independently on the legislation which promotes equality between women and men; stresses that the independence of equality bodies needs to be protected in all member states;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission and Member States to step up significantly awareness raising measures as regards the rights of the victims of discrimination on the grounds of sex; underlines the need for cooperation by all stakeholders, including equality bodies, social partners and NGOs, to address stereotypes about the work of women and men and how they impact on the value of work and low pay;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to introduce in the new directive sanctions at EU level that would exclude companies found guilty of infringing the equality principlemandatory pay audits for companies listed on stock exchanges in the EU Member States, except for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) to highlight the gender pay gap, and introduce sanctions at EU level that would exclude companies failing to meet their responsibilities with regards to gender equality from the public procurement of goods and services financed from the EU budget;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Commission to introduce common standards and checks to ensure the independence and effectiveness of national equality bodies;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Commission to conduct a study that would compare the situation of mothers and women without children; points out that the aim of such a study should beworking mothers, mothers who choose to stay at home, and women without children to shed more light on the position of theseeach of these groups of women on the labour market, specifically targetlooking at levels of employment and pay, the pay and pension gaps, and career development and pensions;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Points out that the country-specific recommendations, which come under the framework of the European Semester, should include targets to reduce the gender pay and pension gaps;