The Czech Republic has become a member of the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), which seeks to achieve pay equity for men and women at a global level.
The (EPIC) coalition aims to achieve pay equity for men and women by 2030, a part of the fulfilment of UN 2030 Agenda goal 8.5to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men including young people and people with disabilities, and to also achieve equal pay for work of equal value.
„The Czech Republic’s entry into the EPIC coalition means that we will pro-actively participate in addressing pay equity issues in the international context,“ said Lenka Simerská, chief coordinator of the Equal Pay Project of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
In addition to activities that focus on raising awareness of pay inequalities, sharing knowledge, and scaling up innovations and programmes that have already produced positive results, EPIC also offers support in improving legislation, building capacity, and strengthening monitoring mechanisms for individual members.
Lenka Simerská listed the benefits of membership for the Czech Republic: „Membership in EPIC will also provide us with significant support in achieving equality objectives at the national level. The Czech Republic still lags far behind the EU average in the index of gender equality in the labour market. Thanks to our membership in EPIC, we will have the opportunity to be deeply inspired by good practices from abroad, to gain access to the latest information and best practices, to respond to international trends, and to bring these principles to the Czech environment.“
The ILO (International Labour Organisation) is one of the three main partners of the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), along with UN Women and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The ILO plays a key role in the coordination and management of the coalition, including being the leader of the coalition’s secretariat
Established in 2017, EPIC seeks to support governments, employers, as well as employees and their organizations to achieve the goal of gender pay equity.
The first international convention on equal pay was adopted as early as in 1951[1], i.e., 72 years ago, but remains relevant today since full gender pay equity has still not been achieved.
Read more at: https://www.equalpayinternationalcoalition.org/
How is pay equity dealt with abroad? Take inspiration from Spain (link to article).
[1]International Labour Organisation Convention No. 100/1951 concerning equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value
