WUNRN
European Women’s Lobby – EWL - http://www.womenlobby.org/spip.php?article7250
EU - Withdrawal
of the Maternity Leave Directive Is a Blow for Women’s Rights in Europe
[Press release, Brussels 1 July 2015] While it may have been on the cards
for some time, the actual official announcement today by Commission
Vice-President Timmermans to withdraw the Maternity Leave Directive is one more
sign that the European Union (EU) and the Member States are failing women
across Europe.
The
withdrawal of the Maternity Leave Directive is yet another example of a failure
by the leadership of the EU to take positive action for women’s rights and
gender equality in Europe. “It sends a very bad message to women and men in
Europe about how much the EU can do to support working women and families in
their everyday struggle for a decent work-life balance”, states Joanna Maycock,
European Women’s Lobby (EWL) Secretary General.
The
announcement comes a week after the launch of the second Gender Equality Index of the European
Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). This index shows that in the past 10
years, progress in achieving equality between women and men has stagnated
across Europe and in some countries even regressed. Overall, women are still
only halfway to equality and continue to earn 16% on average less than men. It
is often at the moment of childbirth that the gender pay gap begins, with life-
long often irreversible consequences, including a 39% pension gap and higher
levels of poverty as women age. Despite existing laws that protect pregnant
workers, the EWL sees that more and more women today are experiencing
discrimination in the work place as a direct result of pregnancy and
parenthood.
Clearly,
the withdrawal of the Maternity Leave Directive from the legislative process
also seriously undermines the democratic process of the European Parliament’s
adopted position of 2010. Women make up more than half of the population and
their rights are not red tape to be negotiated in a ‘better regulation’ scheme
which deprioritizes their work, their salaries and fails to act to put a stop
to the discrimination they face.
The EWL
is worried about the replacement of the Maternity Leave Directive today with a
Roadmap as it carries the risk of diluting women’s rights and equality between
women and men through a soft law approach. The EWL and its members continue to
call for stringent legislative measures grouped in an ambitious new EU Strategy
for Equality between women and men post 2015. Equality between Women and Men is
a founding value of the EU and yet progress has stagnated. A new strategy
should set out clear, accountable commitments for EU action to address this
persisting inequality and connected to the new global post-2015 framework – the
sustainable development goals.
EWL’s campaign #DeliverNow that has been running since October last year has pushed for the strengthening of women’s rights, their protection during pregnancy and their return to work through a full paid statutory rights to maternity leave, as well as paid paternity leave. “The time is now!”, states Ms Maycock, “the European Commission and the Member States must take action to show their commitment to invest in women’s rights in Europe, if gender equality is to become a reality for all women and men in Europe”.