The same money for the same work: women fight for wage transparency

The same money for the same work: women fight for wage transparency

On November 1, 2024, the Equal Pay Day is celebrated in Austria, a date that symbolizes that women have to work well over a month longer to reach the same income as men. The ÖGB regional women draw attention to the blatant income differences that are still burdening women in Austria.

Current figures show that women in Austria earn an average of 49,438 euros annually, while men with average 59,258 euros gross per year receive almost 10,000 euros more. This gap is 16.6 percent, which means that women work for free from October 25, 2024, i.e. over a month. In Styria, the difference is even more serious, since women earn 18.5 percent less, i.e. 10,645 euros.

The demands of the ÖGB regional women

"It feels like a gender lottery," says Sigrid Riegler, the chairwoman of the ÖGB regional women in Southwest Styria. "Women simply get less money than men for equivalent work. That cannot be! We have to fight for more wage transparency and a re -evaluation of work." She emphasizes that a fair wage is crucial for a self -determined life and a just old -age provision.

The causes of the wage differences are diverse, which is why an extensive package of measures is necessary to close the wage gap. This means that companies with more than 150 employees are obliged to create income reports. "These reports are an instrument for promoting wage transparency," explains Riegler.

However, she criticizes that there are lack of consequences in many companies. "Since there are no deterrent sanctions, this is ignored." The ÖGB calls for the rapid and advanced implementation of the EU wage transparency guideline to strengthen the information rights of the employees to persuade companies to make more transparency and to introduce sanctions for omissions.

long -term effects on the life of women

The financial loss that women have to accept in working life is immense. "Women lose half a million euros over the course of 40 to 45 years - that is 10,000 euros a year, that is, the price for a small car every year," says Riegler. Austria is one of the final lights in Europe when it comes to income justice.

The ÖGB regional women have formulated clear demands: a quick implementation of the wage transparency directive, a legal entitlement to childcare from the first birthday, family -friendly working time models and a minimum wage of 2,000 euros in all collective contracts. These demands, according to Riegler, are long -term steps on the way to more justice.

For more information on this topic and the current developments, interested parties can report the reporting on www.meinbezirk.at read.