Code of practice on the implementation of equal pay for work of equal value for women and men

OBJECTIVE: adoption of a code of practice with a view to helping reduce the difference between women and men's incomes, for work of equal value. SUBSTANCE: the Commission document is a follow-up to the Memorandum on Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value, published in 1994. Its purpose is to provide concrete advice for employers and collective bargaining partners at business, sectoral or intersectoral level to ensure that the principle of equality between women and men performing work of equal value is applied to all aspects of pay. It aims to eliminate sexual discrimination whenever pay structures are based on job classification and evaluation systems. The Code is intended to be applied in the workplace both in the public and in the private sector. Employers are encouraged to follow the recommendations in the Code, adapting them to the size and the structure of their businesses. The nature of the approaches and measures set out in the Code is neither exhaustive nor legally binding. The Code, drawn up after intensive consultations with the social partners, essentially proposes two things: 1. that negotiators at all levels, whether on the side of the employers or the unions, who are involved in the determination of pay systems, should carry out an analysis of the remuneration system and evaluate the data required to detect sexual discrimination in the pay structures so that remedies can be found; 2. that a plan for follow-up should be drawn up and implemented to eliminate any sexual discrimination evident in the pay structures. �