The European Parliament has adopted new rules to equalize the salaries of men and women

On March 30, the European Parliament (EP) adopted new rules designed to eliminate the gender pay gap.

From now on, the structure of remuneration in the EU should be based on gender-neutral criteria, and the evaluation system and job classification should not depend on gender.

Job advertisements and job titles must also be gender-neutral, and employers must hire without discrimination. If the gender pay gap is at least 5%, employers will have to conduct a joint salary assessment with their employeesʼ representatives.

Employers who do not comply will be subject to fines, and workers affected by the breach will be able to claim compensation.

The new rules also eliminate pay secrecy — employees will have the right to receive clear and complete information about their employeesʼ salaries and to talk about their own.

If the employer does not comply with the principle of equal pay, the employee can sue him. In court, the defendant will have to prove that there was no discrimination.

427 MEPs voted for the bill, 79 were against it, and 76 abstained. Now the document must be approved by the Council of the EU.

• The European Parliament notes that women in the EU earn on average 13% less than men doing the same job.