The EU’s gender pay gap won’t be eliminated until the next century at the current pace of change, ETUC research shows amid a delay in promised European Commission action to end the scandal.

Eurostat data shows the EU gender pay gap has closed by 1% over the last eight years, which means women will be waiting for another 84 years to achieve equal pay if current trends continue.

Against this background, the ETUC is alarmed that the European Commission has delayed publication of its anticipated pay transparency directive from November 4 (Equal Pay Day) until December 15 and cast the entire initiative into doubt by marking it as “tbc.”

In addition, there was no mention in the State of the Union address of the binding pay transparency measures that President von der Leyen promised to delivering within 100 days of her mandate.

The ETUC has written to President von der Leyen to seek clarity as to the reason for the delay and assurances that the directive will go ahead in spite of pressure not to act.

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