[Brazil] Equal pay bill signed into law

On July 3, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a bill into law granting equal pay to male and female workers for the same job position, MercoPress reports.

According to local reporting, the president stated that he would “enforce” this measure, which “cannot be violated or circumvented” under any circumstances.

“Know that this government will enforce this law,” the president said. He reportedly called on men and women to denounce any breach and assured that “all human beings must begin to be indignant in the face of inequality because inequality is not normal”. Lula also vowed that the equal pay law would be enforced “to the letter.”

The new legislation modifies Brazil’s 'Consolidation of Labor Laws' - which dates back to 1943 and brings together labour norms - to definitively establish mandatory equal pay for men and women performing the same functions.

The document provides for transparency and remuneration mechanisms to be followed by companies, creates various control tools to ensure compliance and establishes heavy administrative fines for those who violate the law.

Women represent 51.1 per cent of the Brazilian population, earn around 22 per cent less than men and hold only 37 per cent of management positions. With the introduction of the new norm, women who have been discriminated against can sue for moral damages regardless of the fines the State charges the employer, Agencia Brasil said.

Lula's government has reportedly introduced three speed-dial lines where such cases can be reported: Dial 100, Dial 180, or Dial 158. In addition, the Labor Ministry's website offers an alternative means of contact.

According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), women in Brazil earn, on average, 78 per cent of a man's income. In the case of black or brown women, the percentage drops to less than half (46 per cent) of the salaries of white men.

Cida Gonçalves - Women's Affairs Minister - told Agencia Brasil, “We women have been waiting for this day for at least 80 years. The obligation of equal pay for equal work between women and men has existed in Brazil since 1943, with the implementation of the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT). Since then, there has been very little progress in this direction.”

Source: MercoPress

(Quotes via original reporting)

On July 3, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a bill into law granting equal pay to male and female workers for the same job position, MercoPress reports.

According to local reporting, the president stated that he would “enforce” this measure, which “cannot be violated or circumvented” under any circumstances.

“Know that this government will enforce this law,” the president said. He reportedly called on men and women to denounce any breach and assured that “all human beings must begin to be indignant in the face of inequality because inequality is not normal”. Lula also vowed that the equal pay law would be enforced “to the letter.”

The new legislation modifies Brazil’s 'Consolidation of Labor Laws' - which dates back to 1943 and brings together labour norms - to definitively establish mandatory equal pay for men and women performing the same functions.

The document provides for transparency and remuneration mechanisms to be followed by companies, creates various control tools to ensure compliance and establishes heavy administrative fines for those who violate the law.

Women represent 51.1 per cent of the Brazilian population, earn around 22 per cent less than men and hold only 37 per cent of management positions. With the introduction of the new norm, women who have been discriminated against can sue for moral damages regardless of the fines the State charges the employer, Agencia Brasil said.

Lula's government has reportedly introduced three speed-dial lines where such cases can be reported: Dial 100, Dial 180, or Dial 158. In addition, the Labor Ministry's website offers an alternative means of contact.

According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), women in Brazil earn, on average, 78 per cent of a man's income. In the case of black or brown women, the percentage drops to less than half (46 per cent) of the salaries of white men.

Cida Gonçalves - Women's Affairs Minister - told Agencia Brasil, “We women have been waiting for this day for at least 80 years. The obligation of equal pay for equal work between women and men has existed in Brazil since 1943, with the implementation of the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT). Since then, there has been very little progress in this direction.”

Source: MercoPress

(Quotes via original reporting)