EU vows to get tough on gender pay gap

New proposals will seek to beef up ˝sanctions in case of a breach of the right to equal pay,˝ targeting repeat offenders.

BRUSSELS, March 5, 2010 (AFP) - European regulators vowed on Friday to get tough with employers whose hiring policies contribute towards women being paid 18 percent less than men on average.

"I am deeply concerned that the gender pay gap has barely fallen over the last 15 years and in some countries it is even increasing," said European Commission vice-president Viviane Reding, whose portfolio covers justice, fundamental rights and citizenship.

"In these times of crisis, the gender pay gap is a cost Europe cannot afford.

"We need to use all the tools we have to close the gender pay gap," she added.

New proposals will seek to beef up "sanctions in case of a breach of the right to equal pay, to ensure that they are dissuasive and proportional," targeting repeat offenders.

The Europe-wide 18 percent, up from 17.8 percent last year, Reding told a press conference, masks different pictures in different countries.

In Italy, the gender pay gap has fallen to 4.9 percent, but in the bloc's three biggest markets of France, Britain and Germany, where it is highest, at 23.2 percent, the figure is above the EU average.

Estonia is the worst place for women seeking equal pay, with a difference of 30.3 percent.

Brussels "will use all available instruments, both legislative and non-legislative, to reduce the gender pay gap," a statement underlined.

Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said a new women's charter was being drawn up, and said he was "proud" that the current 27-strong commission includes nine women, with 53 percent of all commission staff -- tens of thousands of EU civil servants -- also women.

The plans are not "just a political declaration," Reding insisted. They "will be translated into action."