Equal opportunities on trade unions' bargaining agenda

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In 1998, the Spanish trade union confederation, CC.OO, plans to campaign for a new intersectoral agreement between unions and employers on equal opportunities at work between men and women.

One of the main points on the collective bargaining agenda for 1998 approved by the CC.OO trade union confederation is the promotion of equal opportunities at work for men and women. The confederation believes that the labour market situation of women clearly remains unequal to that of men. Women still bear the major burden of family responsibilities and find it more difficult to obtain employment. Their position is more insecure and they tend to occupy less qualified and worse paid jobs. CC.OO considers that decisive action by the social partners is necessary to eradicate these inequalities. It has therefore launched a campaign for a new intersectoral agreement on equal opportunities at work for men and women.

According to CC.OO, negotiations should start between unions and employers to deal with all aspects of women's access to employment and working conditions. The objective would be to revise both existing collective agreements and legislation and to reach an agreement that would be implemented through two channels:

• collective bargaining (including integrating the contents of any intersectoral agreement into the provisions of sectoral agreements); and

• legislative reform (in particular by drawing up proposals for legislative reform of agreed aspects).

CC.OO prioritises the following areas:

• access to employment and security. Eliminating sexual discrimination and reinforcing maternity rights in particular;

• employment and promotion prospects. Eliminating both horizontal and vertical labour segregation of men and women;

• pay. Applying the principle of "equal remuneration for work of equal value";

• reconciling family life and working life. Favouring a flexible and negotiated distribution of working time and improving the legislative regulation of childcare and family leave;

• sexual harassment. Improving the regulation of the offence of sexual harassment at a legislative level and in collective bargaining;

• health and safety at work. Promoting knowledge about, and prevention of, occupational illnesses related to new activities and professions performed by women. The integral transposition of the 1992 EU Directive on the protection of pregnant workers (92/85/EEC) into Spanish law;

• training. Promoting training as a compensatory mechanism to reduce inequalities between men and women;

• positive action. Defining a legal framework for positive action in employment and its development through collective bargaining; and

• guaranteeing rights. Improving the instruments for guaranteeing and exercising rights at work.