ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(74)1010
Vol.1974/0168

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(74)1010final
Brussels,3July1974
AmendedProposalPorA
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
on"theapproximation ofthelawsofMemberStates
concerningtheapplication oftheprincipleofequalpay
formenandwomencontainedinArticle119oftheEECTreaty
(Presented "bytheCommissiontotheCouncil
pursuanttoArticle secondparagraph ,
oftheEEC-Treaty)
COT'(74)1010final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
TheCommission presents herewith totheCouncil aproposal for a
■'Directive intended tocontribute totheimplementation inallMember States
oftheCommunity oftheprinciple that men andwomen should receive equal
pay forequal work .
The implementation ofthis principle ,which iscontained inArticle
119oftheEECTreaty ,isanintegral part oftheestablishment and
functioning ofthecommon market .Under theTreaty itsapplication should
have been ensured byeach ofthesixoriginal Member States during the
first ofthe three stages oftheprogressive establishment ofthe common
(1)market andmaintained subsequently .However ,thelatest Report ofthe
Commission ,onthesituation asat31December 1972,regarding theapplica­
tion oftheprinciple ofequal pay formen andwomen intheoriginal Member
States ,forwarded totheCouncil on31July 1973 ,showed that inspite of
undeniable progress there arestill wide gaps andinadequacies .Moreover ,
(2)theadditxonal information collected bytheCommission from thenew
Member States also reveals similar gaps ,although these States are induty
bound torespect theprinciple contained inArticle 119 oftheEECTreaty
since they joined theCommunity .Given the fact that itis,inthe first
instance ,uptoMember States toensure theapplication ofArticle 119by
means oflaws ,regulations andadministrative provisions ,theCommission
considers itnecessary ,inorder togive full effect tothat Article ,to .
approximate those national provisions which directly affect theestablish­
ment andfunctioning ofthe common market .
Furthermore ,whereas Article 119 oftheEECTreaty clearly stated
theprinciple ofequal pay ,itseemed necessary ,almost from theoutset ,
tosupplement itinorder tospecify certain .procedures tending tofacilitate
itsimplementation .!This requirement ,which theCommission sought originally
tosatisfy initsRecommendation of .20July 19^0 ,wasrecognised bythe
representatives oftheMember .States who ,intheir Resolution of30December
•1961 ,declared themselves tobe"mindful oftheneed harmoniously toimplement
theprinciple ofequal remuneration formenandwomen workers and toprovide
auniform method ofapplication inallMember States ".These are theobject­
ives ofthis proposal foraDirective .
(1)Doc.SEC(73 )3000 final ,18July 1973 . '
(2)Asupplementary report onthis subject isbeing drawn upandwill besoon
presented tothe Council .

Thxs proposal should beviewed inthelight oftheguidelines
already given intheRecommendation of20July .1960 andintheResolution
of30December 1961 .Itdoes notcover thedefinitions oftheconcepts
of"pay"andof"equal paywithout discrimination based onsex"which are
contained inArticle 119itself .Neither does itcover theresultant (
interpretations orprecisions inthis field particularly inrespect ofthe ,
criteria forprofessional classification intheaforementioned Recommentation
and Resolution . ■
This proposal for aDirective isintended first ofall togeneralise
certain minimum protection standards ,such asthose evolving from the
already established interpretation ofArticle 119 »which will ensure that
legal proceedings canbeinstituted sothat theright toequal payis
respected (Article 2)»Similarly ,anydiscrimination ,asstill exists
incertain laws ,which affects wages will beeliminated (Article 3)«It
hasalso appeared necessary ,without calling into question theindependence
ofthe twosides ofindustry ,torender ineffective allthose provisions of
agreements orcontracts which arecontrary totheprinciple ofequal pay
(Article 4),since agreements concluded freely maynotderogate from
provisions ofpublic policy and (since equal rights formen andwomen
obviously constitute abasic principle ofanymodern state .Asthefear
ofdismissal isamajor restraining factor onindividual initiatives aimed
atearning respect for theright toequal pay ,ithas seemed necessary to
prevent alldismissals which take place asaresult ofsuch suits (Article 5)«
Still inthe same context «■that ofaffording increased protection toworkers
Article 6provides forsupervision and forpenalties forthose employers who
donot respect theprinciple ofequal pay .Lastly ,Article 7isintended
toensure that workers are better informed astotheir rights .
Themeasures proposed inthis Directive areconfined toafew
specific andessential points concerning thedirect responsibility of
public bodies .They must take their place inacomprehensive setof
measures envisaged bytheCommission andcomprising ,ontheonehand ,a
proposal that both sides ofindustry negotiate aEuropean framework agreement
and ,ontheother hand ,aCommunity action programme intended topromote the
upgrading offemale employment andcovering fields such asvocational guidance
training andreadaptation .

-4-
Amended Proposal fora
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
ontheapproximation ofthelaws ofMember States
concerning theapplication oftheprinciple ofequal pay
formenandwomen contained inArticle 119oftheEEC Treaty
THECOUNCIL 0?THEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing the European Economic Conmunity ,
and inparticular Article 100thereof ;
Having regard totheproposal from theConcussion ;
Having regard totheOpinion oftheEuropean Parliament ;
Having regard totheOpinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ;
Whereas theimplementation oftheprinciple that menandwomen should -
receive equal payforequal work contained inArticle 119oftheEEC
Treaty isanintegral part oftheestabl ishnent andfunctioning ofthe
common market ;
Whereas itisfirst ofalltheresponsibility ofMember States "toensure the
application ofthis principle bymc^ns ofappropriate laws ,regulations and
administrative provisions ;
Whereas ,inepite oftheadoption bytheConference ofMember States of
aResolution intended toimplement harmoniously theprinciple ofequal pay
and ,consequently ,toprovide fortheapplication ofuniform measures inall
Member States ,considerable difference maybeobserved inthenational
laws regulations andadministrative provisions ;
Whereas ,this being so,itisneeessary toremove these differences and ,
consequently ,toapproximate thenational laws ,"regulations andadministrative
provisions ;

-5-
Whereas ,moreover ,even inthose States with themost advanced legislation ,
doubts renain with regard tothe'practical application oftheprinciple of
equality ,andwhereas itisdesirable ,inconsequence ,toreinforce the I
basic laws bystandards aimed atfacilitating their practical application »
insuch awaythat allworkers intheCommunity nayenjoy effective
protection inthis field ;
*1
Whereas ,moreover ,inorder that thegrowing number offemale workers may
benefit from theharmonization oftheimprovement ofworkers *living and
working conditions aspart ofabalanced socio-economic development
oftheCommunity ,itisnecessary toimprove andharmonise theabove -
mentioned provisions ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
Article 1
This Directive isintended toapproximate thelaws ,regulations and
administrative provisions concerning theapplication oftheprinciple that
menaNdwomen should receive equal payforequal work ,contained inArticle
119oftheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community and
hereinafter called "theprinciple ofequal pay".
Theprinciple .ofequal pay involves equal treatment formen andwomen
with regard toallaspects and conditions ofremuneration ,including
assessment criteria without discrimination onthe grounds ofsex .
Article 2
Kember States shall introduce into thebody oftheir lawsuch ;
measures asarenecessary toenable allpersons whoconsider themselves
aggrieved bythenon-application oftheprinciple ofequal paytoenforce '
1
their claims before thocourts ,after having hadthepossibility of j
recourse toother competent bodies . ,
ι

-6-ι
f >Article3
i
ilemberStatesshallabolishalldiscrimination "betweenmenand
womenarisingfromlaws,regulationsoradministrative provisions
affectingwages,includingthoseconcerningthepublicandsimilar
services,thelegalminimumwageandstatutorywage-related allowances
orbenefitsotherthanthosefallingwithinsocialsecuritysyetano
whicharedirectlyregulatedTrylaw.
Article4
MemberStatesshalltakeallnecessarymeasurestorenderineffec­
tiveanyprovisionscontrarytotheprincipleofequalpaywhichappear
incollectiveagreements,wagescales,wageagreementsorindividual
contractsofemployment.
Article5
MemberStatesshalltakethenecessarymeasurestoprotectenroloyees
againstdismissalsandothersanctionsonthepartoftheemployerbyway
ofreactiontoacomplaintwithintheundertakingortoanylegalpro­
ceedingsaimedatenforcingtheobservationoftheprincipleofequalpay.
Article5
MemberStatesshallensurethattheapplicationbyundertakings of
theprincipleofequalpayissupervisedandthatsanctionsaretaken
againstallinfringements .
Article7
ProvisionsadoptedinpursuanceofthisDirectiveandthosealready
inforceinthisconnectionshallbebroughttotheattentionofworkers
attheirplacesofwork,inenrolo^mcntagenciesandat.Mher.-Suit.nMo .
placesaccessibletothepublic,byallappropriate means.
/

Article 8
Within 6months of "being notified ofthis Directive ,the .Member
States shall amend their laws inacoordance with theproceeding minimum
provisions andshall forthwith inform theCommission thereof .Laws
thereby amended shall enter into force oneyear after notification of
this Directive oratthelatest on31December 1975 . -
Article 9
Within twoyears from theexpiration oftheperiod ofoneyear
specified inArticle 8andatthelatest on3tDecember 1977 ,theMember
States shall forward totheCommission alltheinformation enabling itto
draw upareport ontheapplication ofthis Directive forsubmission to
the Council .
Furthermore ,asfrom thetime ofnotification ofthis Directive ,
Member States shall ensure that theCommission isinformed ,ingood time
sothat itcanputforward itscomments ,ofthemost important laws ,
regulations andadministrative provisions 'which itisenvisaged will be
adopted bythem inthefield covered bythis Directive .
Article 10
This Directive isaddressed totheMember States .