Irish Presidency Gender Equality Conference 2013: Women's
Economic Engagement and the Europe 2020 Agenda
Contribution by Karin Enodd, President of the ETUC Women's
Committee, in the Closing Session
30 April 2013, Dublin Castle, Ireland
[Check against delivery]
Minister Lynch, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting the European Trade Union Confederation, which represents 85
members in 36 European countries, to participate in this Closing Session. We are the
voice of Europe’s workers.
I congratulate the Irish Presidency for organising this conference focusing on an issue
which is vital to realizing Europe’s potential. Tackling the employment and social
emergency, that have resulted from the economic crisis and the subsequent policy
choices, is THE key priority for the European trade union movement. Deficits may be
falling and markets may have calmed down but this crisis will not be over until the
shameful stain of mass unemployment is removed. Over 26 million men and women in
the EU-27 are without work and behind every statistic are people whose lives are
devastated by increasingly long-term unemployment, insecurity and fear about their
future.
Many of the issues discussed during this conference resonate with the trade union
positions but I want to stress two key issues:
- firstly, more women in the workforce does make business and economic sense but,
as the Ministers all stated in the Opening Session, gender equality is a fundamental
right and this must be our guiding principle;
- secondly, we need policy coherence and effective policy-coordination or as Willem
Adema (OECD) put it “an integrated approach”: we can move forward on employment
and social policies, but this is undermined if economic strategies take us in another
direction.
The decisions taken now in response to the economic challenges will have important
consequences for the future. Cuts which bring short-term savings can, over the longer
term, be seen to be false economies. It will cost us much more to fix such mistakes, not
just in monetary terms but in the cost to our communities, not least the risk of losing a
generation of young people.
The impact of the crisis on women’s employment and participation in the labour market
must not be underestimated. In their responses to this year’s annual ETUC 8th March
Survey, trade unions reported a catalogue of worsening pay and working conditions,
including an increase in precarious work, in involuntary part-time work, in discrimination
linked to pregnancy or family responsibilities and a growing phenomenon of women
silently withdrawing from the labour market.
Many unions also highlighted the negative impact that the public sector jobs and pay
cuts pursued in many member states is having on women even though Erika Mezger
(Eurofound) told us that the Eurofound survey showed that the quality of women’s jobs
in the public sector is generally higher.
European Trade Union Confederation | Bernadette Ségol, General Secretary | Bld du Roi Albert II, 5, B - 1210 Brussels | +32 (0)2 224 04 11 | etuc@etuc.org | www.etuc.org
This issue must be given proper attention at the political level and the ETUC welcomes
the European Parliament’s report on the impact of the economic crisis and the austerity
measures on women and gender equality1, mentioned by Mikael Gustafsson2.
Unfortunately, there were no European Council representatives at the plenary debate
prior to its adoption.
We have discussed the multiple barriers women still face both in access to and in the
workplace. Inadequate care infrastructure is one of the principal obstacles but
governments are making gender-blind budgetary decisions to cut back on our public
and social services and welfare systems, which we know impacts disproportionately on
women and risks rolling back the progress made so far. When these services are cut,
it is primarily women who pick up the pieces. Dismantling them is easy, but re-building
them is much more difficult.
The political situation regarding the revision of the pregnant workers’ directive is
unacceptable. Improving the protection of pregnant women and recent mothers,
including guaranteeing their full income while on maternity leave, would bring progress
in reducing the gender pay gap, protecting working mothers and encouraging women
to stay at work.
Yet the process of revision remains blocked. This seriously undermines the EU’s
credibility regarding its commitment to gender equality and women’s economic
engagement. It is a perfect illustration of the need for policy coherence and of the
dangers of policy myopia. We also need an EU wide entitlement to paternity leave. It
should be a key objective of the EU strategy for gender equality.
We often hear about the business need for flexibility. However, workers - men and
women, parents and non-parents and workers of all ages - also need flexible working
arrangements. The revision of the Working Time Directive should address this issue.
Economic governance has become the dominant focus of the Europe 2020 Strategy at
the expense of the employment and social targets. The ETUC is concerned about this
change of orientation and also the lack of a gender dimension in the Strategy. We
welcome the European Economic and Social Committee’s recommendations in its
Opinion on the gender dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy3. National Reform
Programmes should systematically incorporate the gender dimension and the Country
Specific Recommendations must be a gender-mainstreamed.
Commissioner Andor spoke of the Employment Package4 and the focus on tackling
unemployment. The objective must be the creation of sustainable and quality jobs.
Precarious work is increasing and having a job is no longer a barrier against poverty.
Rather than the focus on structural reforms and deregulation, we need decent pay and
proper investment. This is the main reasons the ETUC has called for a European
Investment Plan of 1-2% of EU GDP.
We need a comprehensive approach to job creation in health and social services
encompassing employment, health and social policies. This must be anchored in an
overall framework guaranteeing universal access to quality public services,
underpinned by public finances and a skilled workforce.
1
European Parliament resolution of 12 March 2013 on the impact of the economic crisis on gender equality and
women's rights (2012/2301(INI): http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P7-TA-20130073&language=EN&ring=A7-2013-0048
2
Mikael Gustafsson MEP, Chair of the Women’s Rights & Gender Equality Committee of the European Parliament
3
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.soc-opinions.23970
4
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1039&langId=en
2
The development of green jobs is also a key element in securing a sustainable
economic recovery. We need a European Just Transition Roadmap, including the
promotion of social dialogue and workers’ rights and participation on sustainable
development. We need to ensure that women also benefit from this transition.
Collective bargaining and social dialogue have an essential role to play in job-creation
and addressing, especially equal pay. Collective bargaining and social dialogue
structures are an inherent part of the European social model. We should all be very
concerned about the way these have been undermined in recent years. It is not enough
for governments and the Commission to pay lip service to these principles - the
Commission, as guardian of the EU Treaties must take the necessary steps, to ensure
this.
We have heard from many experts and have had interesting and informative
discussions about what is needed to foster women’s economic engagement in the
context of the EU’s growth strategy until 2020. During my mandate as President of the
ETUC Women’s Committee President and as a long time member before that, I have
participated in many conferences and meetings about how to tackle gender gaps and
achieve gender equality. Sharing knowledge, information and good practice is always
welcome.
I have to be honest, however, and say that my fear is that without concerted action by
all of us, without the political will and ambition to foster women’s equal participation in
the labour market, in politics, in the economy, in leadership roles and in trade unions
and to implement the concrete action this calls for, our daughters, grand-daughters and
their daughters, will continue to battle to fit into the parameters of an employment,
economic and social model shaped to accommodate only 50% of the population.
Thank you.
3