European Trade Union Committee for Education

The European Parliament has adopted a report on the need for an EU strategy to end and prevent the gender pension gap. The report reaffirms the importance of investment in education to enable especially women to stay longer in the labour market which would have positive effects on their pensions. With this report, the European Parliament calls on the European Commission and the EU Member States to tackle inequalities and discrimination in the labour market, in particular through education and empowerment of girls and women to enter sections of the labour market that are currently dominated by men.

The European Parliament states that tackling the gender pay and pension gaps should be a joint effort of Member States, employers and trade unions. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs also stresses the importance of social partners and collective bargaining in achieving gender equality in its Opinion on the motion for a resolution.

ETUCE highlighted the importance of education trade unions for reaching gender equality here and here.