Transcript EMF Seminar “Pro-active trade union strategy of the EMF

Reconciliation policies:
precondition for quality jobs and equal pay
Catelene Passchier, confederal secretary
European Trade Union Confederation
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Challenges for the next decades
(1)
42 Percent of German women believes
that having children will mean the end
of their career …………..
Financial Times Deutschland, Monday 25 June 2007
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Challenges for the next decades
(2)
In the autumn of 2007 in Bulgaria,
85 % of teachers were on strike.
Most of them women.
They demanded a substantial wage increase.
Their current wage is 150 Euro per month
(compared to around 400 for a skilled blue collar worker).
Wages in Bulgaria are the lowest in EU 27.
Fertility rates as well ……….
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Scenario 1: compromise strategies
(fitting women into a male world)
• The ‘standard worker’ is a full time (male) worker;
the organization of work is based on full time availability
(plus overtime and/or irregular hours…..)
• Careers are linear; career breaks lead to ‘wage penalties’
• Children are a private matter, for which women/families
can receive ‘support’
• Household chores are done by ‘invisible hands’;
care (female work) does not have a ‘value’
• Individual solutions to cope (with ‘income-penalties’):
part time, flexi-time, (unpaid) leave, childcare
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Scenario 1: results
Perpetuation of
– traditional division of labour of men and
women at home
– segregation in the workplace
– precarious jobs for women
Short term advantages:
– low visible costs or investments needed
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Scenario 1: results (continued)
Long term negative effects:
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low fertility,
stagnating labour market participation
under-utilisation of female human capital,
persistent gender gaps in terms of pay and pension
rights etc.
(majority of working poor are women, because of low
wages and/or low working hours)
Burden of adjustment on women !
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Scenario 2: structural changes
(for men and women)
• The ‘standard worker’ is a worker (m/f) who cares
(in various degrees throughout life course)
• Careers are flexible, with alternating periods of
high work intensity and lower work intensity;
• Work organizations are responsive to change and
diversity
• It is a public interest to invest in an environment
that supports and facilitates the (private) choice to
have children, and combine paid work with care
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Scenario 2: results
Gradual change towards
– more equal division of labour between men and women
at home
– diminishing gender segregation in the workplace
– ‘flexibility’ for worker in mainstream job
– care (both paid and unpaid) is higher valued
Short term costs:
– (public and private) investment in childcare, dependent
care, social security, leave, etc.
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Scenario 2: results (continued)
Long term benefits:
– higher fertility
– higher (and more adaptable!) labour market
participation (and economic performance …?!)
– full utilisation of male and female human capital
– higher wages/ more income security for women, more
gender equality
Burden of adjustment more evenly spread
over women and men, workplaces and societies
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Some evidence
• a positive correlation between female
employment and fertility
(with different outcomes for NMS related to low wage
levels)
• a negative correlation between female
unemployment and fertility
• a wage gap between full time and part time
working women
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1 May poster 1907: the three eight-s
(8 hours work, 8 hours sleep, 8 hours free)
by Albert Hahn (source: IISG, NL)
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8 hours work
(NL in 1907: male physical work in agriculture)
Albert Hahn, source: IISG NL
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8 hours sleep
(Albert Hahn, source: IISG NL)
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8 hours free (for men…..)
(and who cares?)
(Albert Hahn, source: IISG NL)
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21-st century: we need new images
….. and policy coherence!
• in flexicurity debate
• when revising the Working Time Directive
• when tackling demographic change
Longer working lives and more adaptability?
then shorter working days and more flexibility for
workers!
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8 March 1908:
• Mass meeting in New York, organized by
women from the clothing and textile trades,
for
– higher wages
– an eight hour working day
– women’s suffrage
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8 march 2008………
• Tackle the pay gap
• Tackle the time gap
• Tackle the representation gap
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European Social Partners
Framework of actions on Gender equality (2005)
4 priority areas for action:
- Addressing gender stereotypes /segregation
- Promoting women in decision-making
- Supporting work life balance
- Tackling the gender pay gap
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Tackle the pay gap
– Raise low (women’s) wages
– Demand equal pay men/women
– Mainstream in general wage policies
ETUC 2008: campaign ‘Europe’s workers need a
pay rise’, with emphasis on equal pay
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Tackle the time gap
• Measures to improve reconciliation
(men/women):
– Leave arrangements
– Care infra structure
• Rights to flexibility for workers
– schedules working time
– volume of work (reversible part time)
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Reconciliation of work, private and
family life
Joint evaluation European Social Partners of
Parental Leave Directive:
• evaluation of parental leave arrangements
• in connection with other arrangements supporting parents
and work life balance ( flexible work arrangements,
childcare, other forms of leave)
• to assess if joint actions need to be taken….
Report to Social Summit March 2008
• Yes, joint action will be taken on: leave, care, time
• But details to be further decided (before summer)
• Negotiations can start after the summer
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Tackle the representation gap
ETUC Congress 2007
Charter on Gender mainstreaming
• Elimination of gender representation gap:
– good and comparable data
– increase of women in decision making
• Stronger role equality bodies
• Enhancing role and visibility of women in all
ETUC structures
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First annual 8 March Survey
2008
• Women are driving up trade union
membership across majority ETUC
affiliates
• Women are still inadequately represented in
leadership positions: the glass ceiling is still
strongly in place (slow or no progress!)
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Thank you !
www.etuc.org
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