Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-01-17-Speech-4-008"
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"en.20080117.3.4-008"2
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I must start by thanking the members and staff of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and the draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy for their support and valuable contributions, particularly through their proposals on this report which enabled its unanimous approval. This work took several months and included a public hearing with valuable contributions being made by members of both parliamentary committees and external guests, particularly social organisations.
This report seeks to highlight the role of women in industry. On average, over 14% of women in employment in the European Union work in industry. In some countries this percentage exceeds 25%, such as in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and in others it is around 20%, such as in Portugal, Greece and Hungary.
We know that in some industrial sectors women represent the majority of workers, such as in textiles, garments and footwear, areas of the food industry, cork, cabling, and electrical and electronic equipment, whereas their participation in cutting-edge technology sectors is limited. This means that we need different approaches, but with one common goal of promoting the women working in these sectors, guaranteeing non-discriminatory practices in access to employment and contracting, wage equality, creation of career opportunities, vocational training, good working conditions and better pay, and respecting maternity and paternity as fundamental social values.
The need to guarantee employment with rights for women working in industry and to keep facilitating their access to jobs in this important sector of production also requires more attention to be paid to the situation in various industries in the European Union, to the challenges facing them and to the appropriate responses which must be found, including in international trade and in monitoring the situation of imports of sensitive products such as those in the textile sector.
Particular attention must be paid to the restructuring and relocation of multinationals which significantly affect the employment of women and increase their unemployment, particularly in regions where there is no alternative employment. The fight against the wage discrimination which still exists and which affects female workers, in particular indirect discrimination, requires us to look into establishing a methodology for analysing exactly what jobs entail, which will guarantee the right to equal pay for women and men, give proper recognition to individuals and occupations and, at the same time, establish work as a structural factor, with a view to increasing the productivity, competitiveness and quality of undertakings and improving the lives of workers, both women and men.
We must therefore encourage initiatives that contribute to the development in companies of positive measures and human resources policies promoting gender equality. We must also encourage information and training measures making it possible to promote, transfer and incorporate successful practices. I would highlight in this respect certain projects developed with the support of the EQUAL programme which I have had the opportunity to experience in Portugal. This programme deserves the European Commission’s full attention to ensure its continuation and expansion.
As underlined in the report, negotiations and collective bargaining are vitally important in the fight to abolish discrimination against women, in particular with regard to access to employment, wages, occupational health and safety conditions, career progression, and vocational training. However, the Member States and the Commission have a particular responsibility and an important role to play in promoting equality and fighting all kinds of discrimination, in guaranteeing employment with rights and in combating the precariousness of work which particularly affects women.
We therefore call on them to act, whether by defining high standards for health protection at work that take account of the gender dimension, notably maternity protection, or through working time and organisation that respect family life, or by creating effective inspection mechanisms ensuring respect for employment rights and trade union freedom, or by guaranteeing comprehensive access to good public social security and affordable social services, in particular crèches, nurseries and support for elderly people."@en1
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