Lithuanian court finds pay inequality at EU agency

Lithuanian court finds pay inequality at EU agency
01 Mar 2019

Lithuanian court has ruled against an EU Agency for failing to treat its employees equally, Politico reports.

Five former employees of the European Institute on Gender Equality (EIGE) claimed compensation they received was discriminatory. They sought back payment after the EIGE, based in the Lithuanian capital, paid them less than normal EU staffers by exploiting the status of ‘temporary employees’.

One of the EU’s own standards for compensating temporary employees states that they should be paid the same as permanent employees for equal work. The five said the EIGE violated these standards. They were paid demonstrably less than permanent employees - and even less than trainees at the agency.

The ex-employees calculated that, after tax, the average temporary employee’s salary was approximately €650 while the take home pay for full-time staff started at €1,100. One plaintiff, Vytaute Vailionyte, said temporary staff realised they were in a “precarious position, and not just regarding salary.”

The ex-employees’ lawyer, Rytis Rudzinskas, believes the ruling could serve as a warning to other EU institutions. EU bodies contacted by the plaintiffs during the research stage stated they did comply with labour rules. Yet EIGE had claimed the same compliance. The court did not concur.

The court case was filed last April against the agency’s employment contractor, Manpower, by seven former employees. Two settled before the verdict. The EU was implicated as a third party and will be held liable if the contractor doesn’t pay.

Lithuanian court has ruled against an EU Agency for failing to treat its employees equally, Politico reports.

Five former employees of the European Institute on Gender Equality (EIGE) claimed compensation they received was discriminatory. They sought back payment after the EIGE, based in the Lithuanian capital, paid them less than normal EU staffers by exploiting the status of ‘temporary employees’.

One of the EU’s own standards for compensating temporary employees states that they should be paid the same as permanent employees for equal work. The five said the EIGE violated these standards. They were paid demonstrably less than permanent employees - and even less than trainees at the agency.

The ex-employees calculated that, after tax, the average temporary employee’s salary was approximately €650 while the take home pay for full-time staff started at €1,100. One plaintiff, Vytaute Vailionyte, said temporary staff realised they were in a “precarious position, and not just regarding salary.”

The ex-employees’ lawyer, Rytis Rudzinskas, believes the ruling could serve as a warning to other EU institutions. EU bodies contacted by the plaintiffs during the research stage stated they did comply with labour rules. Yet EIGE had claimed the same compliance. The court did not concur.

The court case was filed last April against the agency’s employment contractor, Manpower, by seven former employees. Two settled before the verdict. The EU was implicated as a third party and will be held liable if the contractor doesn’t pay.

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