Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1393937
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 JULY 2021 OPINION Closing the gap: pay transparency 1970s." He is, of course, perfectly right: but what that also means, to me, is that the rebuilding process would have to begin by restoring what has been lost since (rough- ly) 2004: a political 'raison-d'etre' for the PN. Eddie Fenech Adami under- stood this well… which is why, throughout his 25-year leader- ship, the PN never lacked a core vision, or target, that always somehow lay agonisingly 'out- of-reach'. He also saw to it (cor- rectly, most of the time) that the Labour Party would end up be- ing perceived as a force trying to prevent this 'spectacular vision' – be it EU membership, or 'Xog- ħol, Gustizzja, Libertà' - that his own party was trying to bring about for Malta. Those are compelling reasons to vote for a party: even when that party might not actually represent your views on all other matters... And yet, the only reason Peregin gives, for expecting peo- ple to actually support him in his bid to 'rebuild the PN', is that… um… otherwise, Labour will re- main in power indefinitely. In other words: 'Vote for Us, be- cause we're not Them…' Sorry, but: what, exactly, is the difference between that, and the same 'status quo' that it is sup- posedly trying to 'challenge'? Leaving aside, of course, all the 'kryptonite' that Super-Peregin will soon find himself having to contend with… especially when it comes to dealing with all the people himself he has written so much about, in recent years. Something tells me that this is precisely where his powers will be tested to their utmost limit. Having already openly picked sides in that conflict himself, in his former career as a journalist – no doubt, everything he ever once wrote about Adrian De- lia will be tomorrow's headline news on One TV – he might find it just slightly difficult to reach out across that divide. And yet it is precisely there, on the other side of the frontier, that most of the PN's lost 20+% support actually lies (still licking their wounds, and – let's face it – unlikely to be over-impressed, by what they no doubt perceive as 'just another blue-eyed little whippersnapper': simply waltz- ing in out of nowhere, to solve all their problems with a wave of his magic wand….) But hey! Far be it from me, to discourage such unbridled ambi- tion in a younger (now former) colleague. And naturally, I hope he does succeed, too. After all, it's not every day that you get to report about lone individu- als, who single-handedly rescue entire democracies, through the force of their sheer exuberance alone… …and let's face it: it would make a pleasant change, after reporting all those COVID-19 figures… AVERAGE salaries vary across Malta both by sex and district of residence. This is seen in the latest data from the National Statistics Office (NSO). In 2019, the average gross an- nual basic salary for men was €20,974 whilst for women this was recorded at €17,771. This is the situation in the majority of the European Union Member States. In fact, the European Commission stepped up its ef- forts to address this issue. Indeed, in March 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal on pay transparency to ensure that women and men receive equal pay for equal work. The proposal will increase awareness about pay conditions within the company and give more tools to employers and workers to tackle pay discrimination at work. The European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, has been leading the EU Pay Transparency Directive proposal. She said that the pay transparency proposal "is a ma- jor step toward the enforcement of the prin- ciple of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between women and men. It will empower workers to enforce their right to equal pay and lead to an end to gender bias in pay… Women deserve due recognition, equal treatment and value for their work, and the Commission is committed to ensur- ing that workplaces meet this objective." The legislative proposal focuses on two key elements of equal pay; measures to ensure pay transparency for workers and employ- ers, and better access to justice for victims of pay discrimination. Workers will have the right to request information from their em- ployer on their pay levels prior to and dur- ing employment. Moreover, employers with at least 250 em- ployees must publicly report on gender pay gaps. Workers will also have the right to get full compensation for gender pay discrimi- nation. The proposal takes into account the im- pact of the COVID-19 pandemic "which is reinforcing gender inequalities and puts women into greater risk of poverty expo- sure". In fact, it is mainly women who have been shouldering the caring and household responsibilities during the pandemic. Addi- tionally, their over-representation in low- er-paid sectors and occupations has made them particularly vulnerable in the labour markets hit by this crisis. The National Commission for the Promo- tion of Equality (NCPE) looks forward to the introduction of the proposed Directive on pay transparency to strengthen the principle of equal pay. As part of its remit, the NCPE is empowered to investigate complaints of alleged gender discrimination in pay. Indeed, in 2015, the NCPE concluded an investigation on discrimination in the wage of a female employee whereby equal pay was not given for equal work. Following the opinion issued in relation to this complaint, the NCPE was informed that negotiations between employer and the complainant resulted in a substantial increase in salary when compared to her male counterparts. Work continued on this area of concern. In fact, since 2015, the NCPE has been high- lighting the issue of the gender pay gap and the reasons behind it in order that action can be taken for it to be effectively addressed. In 2015, a conference was the first public event during which discussion focused on the gender pay gap in Malta. More recently, at another NCPE conference this matter was discussed from various perspectives includ- ing the causes of the gender pay gap in Eu- rope and in Malta; how the gender pay gap is calculated as well as the effects and reper- cussions of the gender pay gap on pensions. In addition, in November 2020, the NCPE again organised an online Conference to mark Equal Pay Day focusing on the way forward to closing the gender pay gap and ensuring equal pay for women and men. One of the recommendations concerned the need of pay transparency that was con- sidered to be of vital importance in order to register progress. This recommendation is in line with 'The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan' targets to close the gender gaps in the labour market, pay, and pensions. Furthermore, between 2018 and 2020, the NCPE implemented an EU co-funded pro- ject, 'Prepare the Ground for Economic In- dependence' (PGEI), which focused on ad- dressing the gender gaps over the life-cycle. As part of this work, the NCPE developed an Equal Pay Tool which formed part of the Equality Mark certification. The aim of the Equal Pay Tool is to check the organisation's equal pay for work of equal value between women and men during Equality Mark au- dits. The NCPE will continue to raise aware- ness of the need for effective legislation on pay transparency to address the existing gender pay gaps in our society. More pay transparency should lead to a more diverse and inclusive workplace culture. "Equal work deserves equal pay. And for equal pay, you need transparency. Women must know whether their employers treat them fairly. And when this is not the case, they must have the power to fight back and get what they deserve", stated the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Renee Laiviera Renee Laiviera is Equality Commissioner, NCPE