Gender equality

The ETUC is strongly committed to achieving equality between women and men. Women make up more than 50% of Europe’s population and around 45% of ETUC members. The ETUC works to promote women’s rights, and equality between women and men in the labour market and society in general.

ETUC priorities are outlined in the Paris Action Programme (2015-2019) and the ETUC Action Programme on Gender Equality 2016 – 2019, and include: I. Mainstreaming gender into all ETUC policies; II. Achieving equal pay between women and men; III. Eliminating the gender gap in decision-making bodies; III. Tackling the challenge of work-life balance; IV. Facilitating work, family and private life; V. Addressing the link between domestic violence and workplace rights.

The annual 8th March Survey monitors the gender balance in trade union decision-making bodies. The ETUC is lobbying for greater economic independence for women, new EU legislation to improve work/life balance and a directive addressing gender imbalances on company boards. It has produced a Toolkit for Gender Equality, with the EU-level employers. The ETUC takes part in the EU’s Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities; the European Institute for Gender Equality Experts’ Forum; and the European Women’s Lobby.

01.06.2018 Page

Full-time work and fair pay underpin gender equality in Sweden

An extra pay boost for low-paid care workers forms part of a new two-year collective agreement reached after long negotiations between Swedish municipal workers’ union Kommunal and private care providers. On top of a general pay increase of 2% in 2018 and 2.3% in 2019, companies where average pay is below €2,330 a month (€2,380 in 2019) will pay a flat rate increase of €47 this year and €55 in 2019. Assistant nurses will get a further 0.5%.
17.01.2018 Page

Understanding the menopause in the workplace

Huge numbers of women have to cope with the side-effects of the menopause while at work – most often in silence. Very few workplaces have policies in place to support women who experience difficulties during this stage of their lives, although a survey of 4,000 workers, carried out by the TUC in Wales, found that nearly nine out of ten said they wanted them.
20.12.2017 Document

Gender-Based Violence at Work and at Home– A Trade Union Issue

Gender-Based Violence at Work and at Home– A Trade Union Issue Adopted at the Executive Meeting of 13 and 14 December 2017 Introduction
24.11.2017 Press release

Trade Unions: no more brushing sexual harassment & violence under the table!

“Trade unions and employers play a major role in making work safe for women, and helping to eliminate harassment and violence against women,” said Luca Visentini, Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). “Collective agreements have shown to be a most effective means to combat this scourge.”
20.11.2017 Press release

Gender Pay Gap Action Plan

Commenting on the European Commission’s Action Plan to tackle the gender pay gap, published today, Montserrat Mir, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation said “We have been waiting far too long for renewed legislative action against the gender pay gap across the EU. The ETUC welcomes any promise to look at possible changes to the Gender Equality Directive, but looking has to be followed by doing. We need legally-binding obligations on pay transparency and sanctions against those that fail to deliver.”
05.11.2017 Page

Irish union backs vote on women's right to choose

SIPTU, Ireland’s largest trade union, has overwhelmingly supported a referendum on repeal of the 8th amendment to the Irish Constitution which makes legal abortion impossible in Ireland. The vote is now expected to take place in mid-2018.
11.10.2017 Press release

Needed: renewed EU action on gender equality

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomed the publication today of the 2017 Gender Equality Index by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), showing some small improvements in gender equality in Europe since 2015.
10.10.2017 Press release

"Safe at Home, Safe at Work" - Briefing on the ETUC project

Background paper ETUC project “Safe at home Safe at work” - Trade unions’ strategies to prevent, manage and eliminate workplace harassment and violence against women Recommendations Ten things that unions can do to tackle harassment and violence against women work Prioritise social dialogue between employers and unions, in jointly agreeing policies, procedures and awareness raising amongst managers and workers.
01.09.2017 Page

Boost for families in Belgian pay deal

In Belgium, trade unions have secured a new collective agreement for some 100,000 workers in the retail sector, including a monthly pay rise of €25, from 1 July. The last salary increase was back in 2012. The increase applies pro rata to part-timers, based on the number of hours worked. In addition, workers will receive a one-off bonus of €70 in December 2017.
13.06.2017 Press release

ETUC for EU signing Convention on violence against women

Commenting on the EU signing today the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, ETUC Confederal Secretary Montserrat Mir said “Trade unions are strongly committed to ending violence against women in work, and to do all that is possible at work to tackle domestic violence against women. Only yesterday the European Trade Union Confederation published a report on how trade unions can help to prevent, manage and eliminate violence against women. Collective agreements between unions and employers can make a big contribution to dealing with violence against women.
13.06.2017 Document

ETUC Annual Gender Equality Survey 2017

As part of the follow-up to the ETUC Congress engagements towards the promotion of women within its membership and decision-making structures, in 2017 the ETUC carried out the tenth edition of its Annual Gender Equality Survey (previously known as the 8th March survey). The aim of this survey is to monitor the proportion of women in the European trade union movement, including in decision-making positions and bodies. The objective is to assess progress in reducing the representation and decision-making gap between women and men in trade unions.
13.06.2017 Press release

Private pensions risk bigger gender pension gap

The gender pension gap could be getting wider due to the increasing importance of private (complementary) pension schemes, and their failure to credit women for periods of maternity and parental leave (or other types of care leave). The difference in pension payments for men and women across the EU is 40%, according to the most recent study which was carried out four years ago (in 2013). A survey of 44 trade unions in 29 countries published today by the European Trade Union Confederation shows that
12.06.2017 Document

Safe at Home Safe at Work Final Report & National country studies

SAFE AT HOME, SAFE AT WORK Trade union strategies to prevent, manage and eliminate work-place harassment and violence against women
01.06.2017 Event

Invitation Steering project committee meeting SHSW

Brussels, 7 june 2017  INVITATION  Final steering project committee meeting ‘Safe at home safe at work’  7/7/2017 – from 15:00 to 17:00  Montepulciano (Siena, Italy)  Dear colleagues,
07.03.2017 Press release

She needs a Pay Rise #HerPayRise

A pay rise for women would narrow the gender pay gap, and boost the economy by giving millions of working women more money to spend.  A pay rise that narrows and ultimately eliminate the pay gap between women and men could be achieved by:
31.01.2017 Page

Apprentice scheme offers opportunities to young women

More than 500 new apprenticeships are to be offered this year by defence company BAE systems in the UK, in the wake of a campaign by the Unite trade union.
31.01.2017 Page

Low-paid women in Austria should benefit from wage hike

Austrian trade union vida, which is calling for a €1,500 minimum wage in all collective agreements, has just secured agreement on this target in the tourism sector, coming into force in May 2017.  The union organises many workers in low-paid private sector jobs. Among more than 350,000 workers receiving less than €1,500 – one in eight private sector employees – two thirds are women, for example in the private care and health service sectors, hotels and cleaning.
20.12.2016 Press release

Balancing the challenges of work and private life

The European Trade Union Confederation believes workers must be able to combine their working and private lives in a way that meets the needs of parents, children, carers and dependants. Evidence shows that a fair ‘work-life balance’ is good for workers, employers and society in general. Steps are also necessary to redress the gender inequality which persists across Europe, making it harder for women to enter the labour market, forcing them to make up for inadequate social care, and depriving them of equal pay and economic independence.
01.12.2016 Page

Tools to dismantle the gender pay gap

The education department of the German trade union confederation DGB, together with Arbeit und Leben (Work and Life), which promotes lifelong learning, have developed a toolbox designed to help women obtain equal pay. During a special ‘Day of equal pay at company level’, trade unions drew attention to the gender pay gap in their workplaces and launched initiatives aimed at a better distribution of wages.
24.11.2016 Press release

Eliminating violence against women at work and at home

Trade Unions are fully determined to eliminate violence against women through collective agreements, and their proper implementation with employers, at national, sectoral and company levels.
21.09.2016 Publication

Briefing notes on the ETUC project 'Safe at home, safe at work'

Trade unions’ strategies to prevent, manage and eliminate workplace harassment and violence against women Madrid, 24-25 November 2016 ETUC’s Strategy and Action Plan that states that “economic dependence and sexist stereotypes contribute to inequality and violence” and calls for “a new European legal instrument to combat violence against women”. The ETUC gender equality work programme, adopted in 2012, set a goal to encourage trade unions to address the link between domestic violence and work-place violence.
23.05.2016 Circular

ETUC 8th of March Survey 2016

Dear colleagues, please find attached the report of this year 8th of March Survey. The first part of the report looks at trends in female trade unions' membership and in unions' decision-making positions among ETUC confederations and ETUFs. The second part of this year survey draws conclusions on trade unions' actions to tackle gender occupational segregation. We take the opportunity to thank the several members that contributed, this year again, to the positive outcome of this survey. Best regards, Cinzia Sechi
04.03.2016 Press release

Break the glass walls! March 8 International Women's Day

On International Women’s Day, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) calls on men and women to break the glass walls that segregate the sexes in different occupations at work - and reach more gender equality in the labour market. Women continue to be held back: not only by glass ceilings that stop them rising up the work hierarchy, but also by glass walls that segregate women into particular jobs and shut them out of others. The figures are stark
04.03.2016 Speech

Montserrat Mir at the ICTU Women's Conference 2016

First of all, thank you for inviting the ETUC to your conference, and for inviting me as a new confederal secretary. Congratulations to Therese and Vivian, the conference chairs. I think is a good idea to pay tribute to all the Irish women who have dedicated their lives to fighting for equal opportunities, and for better lives for future generations. We need to continue this work.
15.12.2015 Document

ETUC position on first-stage consultation of the EU social partners on a 'New start' for work-life balance

Key Issues Good work-life balance has a positive impact on the well-being of workers. It can also contribute to achieving major EU policy goals: stimulating employment (especially among women and older workers) and growth; promoting children and youth development; and eventually achieving gender equality.