|
The equality plans are an essential instrument to promote equality between male and female workers in the field of business organizations. Its objective is to correct inequalities of any kind - in professional progression, in the level of occupation and employment, in remuneration, in working conditions - between men and women within companies, adopting measures for this effective and adapted to the particularities of each organization. Incorporated by organic law 3/2007, the truth is that the equality plans had not reached, in 2019, the extension and success that was intended. To a large extent, this is explained because only large companies, with more than 250 workers, were required to have an equality plan. But also due to business reluctance and practical difficulties for its processing and implementation. It is not surprising, therefore, that among the numerous measures approved in recent times in favor of equality between women and men -among which also stands out the commitment to equal pay-, equality plans have received a decisive boost by part of the legislator.
In this sense of march 1, on urgent measures to guarantee Italy Telegram Number Data equal treatment and opportunities for women and men in employment and occupation, extended the obligation to have an equality plan to all companies with 50 or more workers and expanded the content of the equality plans. Recently, rd of october 13, which regulates equality plans and their registration, has come to complete the regulatory framework for equality plans developing the provisions of rdl 6/2019, putting into the registration of equality plans is underway and offering answers to a good part of the interpretative doubts and practical problems that arise in the preparation and application of equality plans. Each and every one of the novelties that these regulations have incorporated serve the same objectives: to promote the existence of equality plans, improve and expand their content and give publicity and transparency to this basic instrument for equality in the company.

Of particular interest is the worker counting system. And it is that the aforementioned regulations have not been limited to expanding the obligation to approve an equality plan to all companies with 50 or more workers -which as of march 7, 2022 must have one- but, in addition, establish calculation criteria of the workforce that facilitate exceeding the aforementioned threshold. To this end, says the norm, the total workforce of the company must be included, whatever the number of work centers and whatever the type of contract, therefore including permanent, discontinuous, fixed-term, part-time workers - regardless of the number of hours of work - and even assigned workers by temporary employment companies. Temporary workers whose contracts ended before the time of the calculation but who have been in force in the company during the previous 6 months must also be taken into account (for every 100 days worked or fraction they will be counted as one more worker). Also new is the possibility of negotiating equality plans in groups of companies.
|
|