Oral explanations of vote

  Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – Paní předsedající, rozdíl v platech mezi muži a ženami, který je v průměru v Evropské unii 16 %, je něco, co je velmi nespravedlivého, a přestože dochází v některých zemích ke zlepšování, je to posun velmi pomalý. Je pravda, že Evropská unie provádí řadu opatření, kterými pomáhá členským státům zlepšovat tuto situaci, protože je to věc subsidiarity a tlaku členských států a jejich opatření, aby tuto věc změnily. Já například velmi pozitivně hodnotím směrnici o slučování profesního a osobního života, která může pomoci rodičům věnovat se jak dětem, tak profesi, a tím nastartovat svoji kariéru, což je většinou právě důvod k velkým finančním rozdílům. Myslím si, že toto je správná cesta. Já jsem se nakonec při hlasování zdržela, protože nesouhlasím s tím, abychom z evropské úrovně příliš zavazovali jak soukromý sektor, tak národní státy, aby zásadním způsobem měnily svoji legislativu, zejména při omezování flexibility pracovních úvazků.

  Elena Lizzi (ID). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, nella scala dei valori europei l'uguaglianza fra uomini e donne è seconda solo alla protezione dei diritti umani. Noi dobbiamo ancora far cambiare la percezione che sia scontatamente a carico delle donne o non sia importante il lavoro di accudimento dei figli e di anziani svolto a sostegno della famiglia. Questa rivoluzione culturale permetterebbe alle donne di partecipare maggiormente all'economia, favorendone la crescita.

Non ho votato la risoluzione in esame perché, pur nello spirito condivisibile, sono proposti interventi specifici della Commissione su salari e su aree di competenza degli Stati membri, peraltro anche sulle piccole e medie imprese. Gli oneri dovuti al divario retributivo di genere non devono ricadere però solo sulle imprese, soprattutto se medie e piccole, ma devono essere sostenuti per un cambio culturale universale. Non si dovrebbe parlare solo di divario retributivo, ma anche e soprattutto di parità di trattamento e di politiche che favoriscano una maggiore inclusione delle donne nel mondo del lavoro.

  Matthew Patten (NI). – Madam President, I supported the resolution for fairer gender pay. Of course women should be treated fairly in the workplace and, as with so many of these issues, the UK is actually way ahead of the EU in this particular area. But why does the UK fail to recognise that the same equalities should extend to those from racial and ethnic minorities? I and others have consistently spoken up in this place about the institutional racism of the European Union: the fact that, despite 10% of European citizens come from a racial and ethnic minority, there has never been a black commissioner or senior member of staff. In my time here as an MEP, attending hundreds of committees and plenaries, no black person has ever been on a single presiding panel. This institutional racial discrimination is as unacceptable as gender discrimination, and for all its claims about protecting citizens’ rights, this Parliament, the Commission, the Council will never be united in diversity until it puts its own house in order.

  Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Jestem autorką rezolucji ECR jeśli chodzi o lukę płacową i problem ten jest zauważany nie tylko w Parlamencie Europejskim. Zarobki kobiet w stosunku do zarobków mężczyzn w Unii Europejskiej są wciąż niższe o średnio 16%. Polska, którą mam zaszczyt reprezentować w Parlamencie Europejskim, ma tę lukę jedną z najniższych pośród państw członkowskich.

Moja rezolucja zwracała uwagę na to, że powinniśmy wzywać do wzmożenia wysiłków poprzez egzekwowanie na szczeblu krajowym zasady równej płacy za tę samą pracę. Zwracałam uwagę, że obowiązek opieki nad dziećmi i chorymi członkami rodziny częściej spoczywa na kobietach niż mężczyznach. To panie częściej wybierają z tego względu pracę na część etatu, ponieważ starają się łączyć pracę zawodową z obowiązkami rodzinnymi.

Niestety zagłosowali Państwo przeciwko tej rezolucji, a poparli rezolucję, która narusza zasady pomocniczości i proporcjonalności oraz wskazuje na rozwiązania szkodliwe dla przedsiębiorczości.

  Leszek Miller (S&D). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Poparłem rezolucję, ponieważ Unia musi podejmować działania niwelujące nieuzasadnione zróżnicowanie wynagradzania ze względu na płeć. Z oficjalnych danych wynika, jak już mówiono, że kobiety w Unii Europejskiej zarabiają około 16% mniej niż mężczyźni. Oznacza to, że w porównaniu z mężczyznami pracują przez dwa miesiące bez wynagrodzenia. Przyczyny tego zjawiska są różne, kobiety pracują częściej w niepełnym wymiarze czasu pracy, borykają się z blokadą awansu, ponoszą też często główną odpowiedzialność za opiekę nad dziećmi. W konsekwencji, choć zasada równości kobiet i mężczyzn jest jedną z podstawowych wartości Unii, to de facto jest bardzo ograniczona. Dlatego musimy podejmować działania, które pozwolą osiągnąć konkretne rezultaty poprzez zwalczanie segregacji zawodowej i sektorowej, wzmocnienie praw pracujących rodziców i opiekunów, jak również wdrożenie innych działań, które będą niwelowały różnice w wynagrodzeniu kobiet i mężczyzn.

  Julie Ward (S&D). – Madam President, next week, after 47 years of being a strong, effective, socially-progressive force in the European Parliament, there will no longer be any UK Labour voices to champion the issues so many women still encounter today, such as the gender pay gap. I want to pay tribute to all past and present Labour MEPs, especially my Labour sisters who, like me, have been at the forefront of fighting for gender equality. They’ve inspired me, and they will inspire a future generation to ensure I am not the last Labour woman speaker in this Parliament. I therefore pay homage and respect to Janey Buchan, Barbara Castle, Ann Clwyd, Joyce Quin, Christine Crawley, Carole Tongue, Pauline Green, Christine Oddy, Mel Reed, Anita Pollack, Angela Billingham, Mo O’Toole, Veronica Hardstaff, Glenys Kinnock, Eluned Morgan, Susan Waddington, Arlene McCarthy, Linda McAvan, Neena Gill, Catherine Stihler, Mary Honeyball, Glenis Willmott, Lucy Anderson, Anneliese Dodds, Theresa Griffin, Judith Kirton-Darling, Clare Moody, Alex Mayer, and finally, Jackie Jones.

  Billy Kelleher (Renew). – A Uachtaráin, vótáil mé i bhfabhar an rúin maidir leis an mbearna phá idir na hinscní, toisc go gceapaim go bhfuil sé tábhachtach go leanfaidh an teach seo de na héagothromaíochtaí atá ann fós san ionad oibre a chur i bhfáth agus aghaidh a thabhairt orthu.

Mar athair ar bheirt iníonacha, is mian liom Eoraip a fheiceáil a dhéanann a gcearta comhionanna a urramú, tairbhí na héagsúlachta san ionad oibre a aithint, agus a dhéanann pá comhionann ar obair chomhionann a áirithiú.

Ní hamháin gur gá dúinn féachaint leis an mbearna phá a líonadh, ach is gá dúinn í a dhíothú.

  Antony Hook (Renew). – Madam President, in 2020 it should be anathema to treat men and women unequally and one measure of that is how much men and women in work are paid.

The gender pay gap in the EU is 16% and slightly higher in the UK. Some people argue that it is just because of a difference in jobs that men and women do. But why is it that the people who control the rates of pay, not least in the public sector or large organisations, have consistently preferred to better reward the jobs done by more men than women? Why is there a recruitment culture that has pulled more men than women into certain fields? In part, it’s because men dominate both corporate and trade union leadership and old inequality endures.

As an MEP, I have often been inspired in my work by thoughts of my baby daughter’s future and so, in my last speech in this Parliament, I appeal for equality between men and women.

  Antonio López-Istúriz White (PPE). – Señora presidenta, yo voté que sí, por supuesto, a esta Resolución, no por seguir la línea, por supuesto, de utilización política que hace esta izquierda retrógrada en Europa —que tenemos aquí, en el Parlamento, representada por compañeros nuestros— que utiliza el feminismo de forma prehistórica, sino precisamente mirando al futuro, como mi compañero Hook acaba de decir.

Yo tengo dos hijas, y estoy mirando por su futuro. Evidentemente, sigue habiendo injusticias en materia de brecha salarial para las mujeres. Yo oigo muchísimos casos en mi país, donde hay un Gobierno, por cierto, de izquierdas, que veo que todavía no está haciendo nada. En muchos países europeos hay miles y miles de mujeres que están sufriendo esa brecha salarial. Y en eso tenemos nosotros que dar nuestro apoyo lógicamente, y en eso estaremos desde el Partido Popular Español y el Partido Popular Europeo.

  Manuel Bompard (GUE/NGL). – Madame la Présidente, mes chers collègues, cette résolution est nécessaire parce qu’elle rappelle l’inégalité économique structurelle entre les femmes et les hommes. Au sein de l’Union européenne, l’écart de salaire atteint 40 % si l’on inclut les taux d’emploi et de participation globale au marché du travail.

Cette inégalité existe aussi en matière de retraite: les pensions des femmes sont en effet de 37 % inférieures à celles des hommes. Or, au moment où nous votons cette résolution, une offensive a lieu en Europe contre nos systèmes de retraite sous l’impulsion de la Commission européenne. En France, malgré l’opposition majoritaire du peuple, le président Macron veut imposer sa retraite par points. Les femmes en seront les premières victimes.

En Suède, leurs pensions ont baissé de 90 % depuis l’introduction d’un tel système. J’adresse donc depuis cet hémicycle un message de soutien au peuple français en lutte depuis deux mois et je lui dis que notre délégation se battra partout où c’est possible pour obtenir le retrait de ce mauvais projet.

  Leila Chaibi (GUE/NGL). – Madame la Présidente, nous venons de voter un texte sur l’égalité salariale entre les hommes et les femmes et ce texte nous apprend que l’écart des pensions de retraite entre les hommes et les femmes au sein de l’Union européenne est de 37 %. Ce qui est en outre intéressant dans ce texte, c’est qu’il appelle les États membres, pour réduire ces écarts de pension, à garantir aux femmes un niveau de pension de retraite minimal décent.

Il se trouve que, dans mon pays, la France, le président Macron fait exactement l’inverse avec sa réforme du système de retraites. Dans son projet, les femmes sont les grandes perdantes, notamment parce que les pauses que font les femmes dans leur carrière, dues au fait qu’elles portent les enfants et qu’elles doivent s’arrêter en conséquence, et le fait qu’elles subissent le temps partiel imposé font que les femmes n’auront pas le nombre de points nécessaires pour avoir le droit à une retraite décente.

Aussi, depuis cet hémicycle, je voudrais, si vous me le permettez, lancer un appel au président français: Monsieur Macron, vous avez aujourd’hui deux possibilités. Soit vous continuez à faire le bon élève zélé de la Commission européenne, qui exige le démantèlement de notre système de retraite par répartition, soit vous écoutez ce Parlement qui est la seule instance de l’Union européenne démocratiquement élue. Je vous conseille bien évidemment la deuxième option. Abandonnez ce projet de réforme des retraites.

  Guido Reil (ID). – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Worüber reden wir heute? Wir reden über den Grundsatz: gleiches Geld für gleiche Arbeit, und das unabhängig vom Geschlecht. Also für mich ist dieser Grundsatz das Normalste von der Welt. Aber leider war das nicht immer so. Gott sei Dank haben wir in der Vergangenheit viel erreicht. Das 20. Jahrhundert war das Zeitalter der Emanzipation. Gott sei Dank. Jetzt leben wir im 21. Jahrhundert und müssen tatsächlich feststellen: Frauen verdienen in der Europäischen Union im Schnitt tatsächlich noch 16 % weniger als Männer. Für mich ist das ein Skandal. Aber man muss fragen: Woran liegt das, warum ist das so? Es liegt in erster Linie daran – und da müssen wir mal ganz ehrlich sein –, dass Frauen Kinder kriegen, und Frauen deshalb mehr Teilzeit machen, dass Frauen deshalb schlechtere Chancen haben, befördert zu werden, und sich dementsprechend zu qualifizieren. Das ist der wahre Skandal. Wir brauchen eine vernünftige Familienpolitik. Frauen, die Kinder kriegen, müssen unterstützt werden. Das muss der Fokus unserer Politik in der Zukunft sein, endlich eine vernünftige Familienpolitik zu machen. Bezeichnend finde ich auch, dass diese Lohndifferenz in katholischen Ländern wie in Polen zum Beispiel viel viel niedriger ist als in Ländern, die links regiert werden.

  Clare Daly (GUE/NGL). – Madam President, I think it’s an absolute disgrace that in the EU in 2020 women are paid 16% less per hour than men. That’s before you even look at the unequal employment rates between women and men.

Of course it’s intolerable that women continue to have to pay the cost of maternity, unremunerated and unrecognised care work, domestic work, leading to a situation that, at the end of slaving your guts off, you’ve a 37% gap in your pension than men have. So there’s a lot of good in this resolution, but I abstained on it because it spent too much time dealing with the symptoms and not addressing the causes. Deregulation of work, the drive towards precarious work, disproportionately affects women and as long as this is unaddressed the gender gap will remain.

The motion failed to join the dots. We have to make it clear that women, as James Connolly said, ‘are the slaves of slaves’. We’ve got to connect the two or this issue will blight us forever.

  Mick Wallace (GUE/NGL). – Madam President, the statistics on the gender pay gap have been well pointed out here and they are, without any doubt, a disgrace. But it’s also important to acknowledge that the long—term effects of neo—liberal policies imposed by the EU are further increasing discrimination against women and inequality between men and women.

It’s important, too, to call on the Commission not to promote any policy recommendation that seeks to increase the precarious work relations, the deregulation of work and working hours, the reductions of salaries, the privatisation of public services and of social security systems, or those that undermine trade unions.

Misogyny is still very real. Look at how slow our own country, Ireland, was about recognising women’s reproductive rights, it took so long. But the root causes of the salary discrimination between women and men also derive from the broader context of labour deregulation and devaluation. Things must change.

  Frances Fitzgerald (PPE). – Madam President, the EU has always been a standard-bearer for equality, and no less so in this Gender Pay Resolution, and I want to thank those colleagues who supported it. It’s an important resolution and there’s been great cooperation amongst all of the parties, and the EPP strongly supports it. There was a recommendation in 2014, and what’s quite clear is that there has not been enough activity – not enough action – to reduce the gender pay gap as well as the pension gap, which is at 36%, and the pay gap at 16%. But I want to say to businesses out there, to firms, national and international, to governments, to media outlets: wake up, because there is a directive coming your way that is going to make it statutory for you to have more pay transparency, to have more audits, to give workers more rights about salaries, and to have more compatibility between different jobs. We absolutely need to have this, and this Gender Pay Resolution sends a strong message from this Parliament that we are serious about doing this, because it has even decreased the amount of pay to women in some Member States since that recommendation in 2014.

  Marcel Kolaja (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, we as a delegation of European Pirates voted in favour of the resolution because the gender pay gap is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

We have, however, voted against particular text in paragraph 13 concerning binary gender quotas, which in our opinion are not a proper instrument for how to solve the gender pay gap. We believe skills and knowledge are the key aspects of qualification not belonging to a specific category.

As mentioned in our political programme, a long-term solution is needed to ensure equality, not quotas. Instead, we need to introduce measures to enhance pay transparency, invest in accessibility and affordability of childcare, create suitable working environments and promote agreements with sufficient flexibility to increase participation of women in the labour market. Thus, in the case of the opening of a debate on this, as suggested by paragraph 13, we will continue to speak against gender quotas.

  Jackie Jones (S&D). – Madam President, I want to say that I’m absolutely delighted that the last vote that I was able to take in the Parliament was in favour of this resolution. I’ve been working for 20-odd years on women’s rights and trying to close that pay gap and close the pension gap. We have a lot of work to do, but Labour has a very proud history of supporting equality, dignity, solidarity and workers’ rights, whether it’s here or back home or in Wales. So I think we’ll continue to do that. Let’s hope that the Johnson Government doesn’t take our rights away, that’s for sure.

Women and children are at the forefront of being very vulnerable when it comes to pay as well as ending violence, so we must do all we can to stop those instances. Finally, I just want to thank everyone who has supported us, and we continue our work for Wales across the world. And thank you, Callum, for letting your mum fight for equality and solidarity and dignity.

  John Howarth (S&D). – Madam President, chers collègues, it is very appropriate that our last vote as Labour MEPs is to support this report on the gender pay gap.

Much more needs to be done to bring justice and equality in a field that we regard as self—evident. Words are easy, but real equality means equal pay. But not everyone agrees. And here is the most important lesson of why this is our last vote, because whenever progress in society is taken for granted, that’s when the backlash begins. When the war is won, that’s when the next battle comes along.

The gender pay gap has been most acute where pay is low and jobs go unnoticed. Which brings me to some important thanks.

Ici, je vais prononcer quelques mots en français pour remercier ceux dans ce Parlement qui nettoient nos bureaux, les services de sécurité, les cuisiniers, le personnel d’entretien, le personnel chargé des voitures et les chauffeurs. Je voudrais vous remercier pour tout votre travail. Merci à tous, bonne chance, courage et au revoir. Gan canny.

  Claire Fox (NI). – Madam President, I abstained on this motion not because I don’t care about the gender pay gap, but because there are other pay gaps that are much wider and less discussed. Actually there’s a pay gap at the heart of this place: well-paid Eurocrats rule the roost, but behind the scenes, the underpaid and unrecognised heroes are all the staff: the ushers, the drivers, the cleaners, the admin staff, the fantastic translators – who have, by the way, been fabulously gracious and helpful and non-sectarian to all of us in the Brexit Party: a heartfelt ‘thank you’.

Can we talk about the class pay gap please, and admit that working-class people throughout Europe are getting poorer, often because of austerity policies that emanate from the EU? Their pay and their jobs are collateral damage to the economic decisions made in Brussels, dominated by the interests of big business, and anyone who kicks back, whether it’s the gilets jaunes or leave voters in the UK, are dubbed populist, traducers, ignorant, or far right. Let the lesson of Brexit be, in this last speech – my last speech, the last speech: don’t demonise your own citizens. Solidarity with the European working class when they fight back, and I hope they fight back with success.