The intention was, as so often, good. By legislating on "equal pay for equal work", Brussels wanted to put an end to unreasonable pay differences between men and women.
A female employee should not have to deal with the fact that the male colleague at the desk next to her gets more in her wallet when she performs the same job, and she should have the right to know roughly what her colleagues earn.
This is how EU officials and politicians reasoned when they drafted the directive on increased salary transparency.
The new rules would have been introduced in the member states at the beginning of June. But few agreements have aroused such strong feelings and stubborn opposition. Critics condemn the new rules as a "bureaucratic monster".
Sweden's government voted no in 2023 and now refuses – like most other member states – to introduce the rules in time. It would be so "administratively burdensome" that it would take focus away from other gender equality work, they argue.
Employer organizations such as SKR and Svenskt Näringsliv agree. Ask one of their representatives and you will be greeted by a tidal wave of warnings about the administrative burden that awaits if the directive becomes Swedish law. They think that the Swedish wage chart that all employers must follow is sufficient.
In Europe's economic engine Germany, the waves are just as high. Critics like to point out that just the name – taste the EU-Entgelttransparenzrichtlinie – is so complicated to pronounce that it creates extra bureaucracy.
The trade unions note bitterly that the issue of fair wages has been de-prioritized - again.
If you ask the European trade unions, they are at a loss for criticism. They welcome that the EU wants to put an end to secret payrolls and wage discrimination.
The Swedish government is now hoping for a new round of negotiations in Brussels to soften the demands. But the European Commission has flatly said no. The right to equal pay is a matter of personal concern to the Commission's first female president, Ursula von der Leyen. She considers it unacceptable that women in the EU earn on average 11 percent less per hour worked than men (according to statistics from Eurostat). And has made it clear that she does not intend to back down one millimeter.
- Women must be told if their employers treat them fairly. And when that is not the case, they must have the power to fight back and get what they deserve, she has stated.
However, the battle over salary transparency is about much more than the size of women's and men's salaries. It's part of the larger fight against regulatory clutter, which keeps the continent's entrepreneurs up at night.
The bloated bureaucracy is now blamed for everything: the alleged de-industrialisation of Europe, the high fuel prices, the housing shortage and the requirement to accept cookies when visiting a website. Not to mention the plastic caps that are now stuck in the bottle with an annoying little flap.
It is the fear of even more regulatory confusion that has led to the fact that not even a handful of the EU's 27 member states have introduced the new rules on salary transparency in time.
Even though they had three years.
The trade unions note bitterly that the issue of fair wages has been de-prioritized - again.
