The penalty for wage inequality between women and men increases 10 times
The penalty for gender pay inequality for entrepreneurs performing the same function will increase to 5 times the highest salary paid by the company. And in case of not maintaining the salary parity, it will be increased by 100% if there was a repetition.
The announcement of the bill on equal wages for women and men in Brazil took place on March 8, International Women’s Day. The project also provides an opportunity for the court to make an urgent decision to force the company to pay the same salary.
“It is important to remember that in this bill that we are sending to the National Congress, there is one word, just one word, that is different from what has already been written about equal work for men and women performing the same function. One word. And that magic word is called mandatory. Obligation to pay the same salary,” said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
salary transparency
The norm stipulates that all private companies with 20 or more employees publish salary and remuneration transparency reports that allow easy comparison of the values received by men and women working in the organization. This report must comply with personal data protection legislation.
In cases where wage inequality between women and men is identified, the company must create, present and implement an action plan with objectives and deadlines to eliminate these differences.
This plan should ensure the participation of trade unions and employee representatives in the workplace.
“We say loud and clear that if you work in the same job and do the same job with the same competence, then a woman has the right to earn the same amount as a man earns by working. There will be many people who will not want to pay. Therefore, justice must work to make the businessman pay what the woman deserves for her ability to work,” President Lula explained.
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pre-election promise
The bill still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives and the Federal Senate and subject to presidential assent to take effect.
It is a commitment made during the presidential election campaign and one of the conditions of then-candidate Simon Tebbet (MDB), now Minister of Planning and Budget, to support Lula in a runoff against former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
“When we accept that women earn less than men doing the same work, we perpetuate historical violence against women,” the president said.
The bill seeks to consolidate what has been in place for decades in the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) and the Federal Constitution. For Simone Tebbet, the changes brought about by the 2017 labor reforms were not enough to ensure compliance by companies due to the low fines applied.
“For the first time, a male president with a feminine soul is starting the decades-long struggle for Brazilian women,” he noted.
distribution of pads
In addition to the pay equity project, the government announced a number of measures in various ministries targeting women. Among them are the distribution of free pads to low-income populations in school, the homeless and the prison system.
The decree establishing a program for the protection and promotion of menstrual health serves to regulate the distribution of pads by the federal government.
See the products included in the package.
- work without violence and harassment;
- quota for women victims of violence;
- Mariel Franco Day;
- Athlete scholarship;
- construction of day care centers;
- harassment in public service;
- menstrual dignity;
- investments in security;
- equity in SUS;
- training courses;
- Funding women’s projects in hard sciences, engineering and computing.
- awards for writers and
- support for unpublished projects by Brazilian filmmakers
Minister of Women Sida Gonçalves said that almost 1 million rials will be allocated from this year’s budget to the announced events.
“What you see here today is a huge collective effort to implement strong policies to address violence against women, gender equality, women’s economic autonomy, women’s holistic health and their permanence with guaranteed rights in all areas,” she said.
The President announced measures to reduce the wage gap between men and women and to distribute pillows to the low-income population – Photo: Evaristo S.
President Lula during the signing of the PL against women’s wage inequality. – Photo by Ricardo Stuckert
With information from Gov.br
