Female workers continue to earn 13.72% less in the Balearics

Women working. | Gemma Andreu

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma19/02/2021 11:44

Female workers earn on average 13.72% less than their male colleagues in the Balearics, with 3,351 gross euros less per year, the UGT General Workers’ Union secretary of Social Policies and Equality, Xisca Garí, denounced yesterday, and there are fears that the pandemic could put female workers in an even more delicate situation.

The average gross annual female salary in the islands is 21,085 euros and the male 24,437 euros, according to the latest available official data.

“We have a serious gap and from what we are seeing, when we have the data on what is happening with the pandemic, the figures could be even worse due to the rise in unemployment and the lack of jobs in the service and hostelry sectors,” Garí warned.

She said that although the pandemic will affect everyone and the situation of inequality will worsen, because whenever crises occur, they harm workers more, something that requires the implementation of “active employment policies with a gender perspective,” she claimed. Garí has also warned that the wage gap increased over the past year.

The union leader has highlighted that this year, new anti-discrimination legislation will come into force, such as the Equal Remuneration Regulation and the Regulation of Equality Plans, but she has her doubts that they will be respected across the board and called on the local government to make sure that a system of checks and balances is in place to enforce the new laws.

“If the Equal Remuneration Regulation is applied to all companies, we will be close to reducing the wage gap”, she stressed.

This year the equality plans will become mandatory for companies with more than 100 employees and in 2022 for those with 50 staff.