50. Supports initiatives aimed at reconciling work and family life and believes that the Commission should establish a European strategy based on best practices in the Member States aimed at creating the conditions for achieving the employment rate targets set in the EU2020 Strategy; welcomes the initiatives taken by the Commission to close the gender pay gap; nevertheless considers that the existing legislation has been ineffective and calls for a Review of the Directive on equal pay by February 2013 in line with the Parliament Resolution of 24 May 2012;

In conclusion, I'd like to sum up the all-around benefits of such initiatives: employers gain a more productive labour force at reduced training cost; employees gain greater employability and earning power by being able to service a product in less time than prescribed at the flat rate; consumers have well-functioning, safe automobiles; government gains a more productive and competitive sector with reduced EI costs.

– Madam President, first of all we need to remember that the Posting of Workers Directive is about workers’ rights, and it just lays down minimum standards in terms of pay rates, holidays, working hours and so on.

The case concerns the right of public authorities, when awarding contracts for work, to demand that tendering companies commit themselves to pay wages that are in line with rates already agreed through collective bargaining where the work is carried out, or whether this could be outlawed as a restriction on the freedom to provide services under Article 49 of the Treaty.

38. Notes the forthcoming presentation of a communication setting out a road map for gender equality and underlines the fact that the principle of equal pay for work of equal value was introduced thirty years ago by Council Directive 75/117/EEC ; recalls the Lisbon objective of achieving a female employment rate of 60% by 2010;

It concerns the wage rates set out in clause 12 with no opportunity for negotiation.