The Gender Pay Gap and Social Partnership in Europe Findings from "Close the Deal, Fill the Gap" Routledge Research in Employment Relations Series

The gender pay gap (GPG) exists in every European country, but it varies considerably, even in EU member states covered by the same legal principles on pay equality. Part of the variation can be explained by different patterns of social partnership. With current policy pressure to de-centralise collective bargaining and increase the percentage of pay linked to productivity, what role can social partnership play in tackling the GPG?

Reporting on the findings of the European Commission funded research project "Close the Deal, Fill the Gap", this book uses an interdisciplinary analysis involving legal, economic, and sociological expertise, to explore the role of social partnership in GPG in Italy, Poland and the UK. Selected on the basis of their contrasting profiles in terms of legal regulation, industrial relations, systems of collective bargaining, coverage of collective agreements, and differing rates of the GPG, the in-depth study provides important insights into the main issues underlying the problem of reducing the gender pay gap which have led to guidelines in the negotiation of arrangements on GPG-related issues.

Based on a unique comparative, interdisciplinary and action-oriented esearch project, it will be of great interest to all researchers and advanced students with an interest in women?s representation in the workforce and the gender pay gap, as well as practitioners and policy makers in organisations such as trade unions and employers? associations.

1. Introduction, (Hazel Conley, University of the West of England, UK; Donata Gottardi, University of Verona, Italy. Geraldine Healy, Queen Mary University of London, UK; Barbara Mikołajczyk, University of Silesia, Poland; Marco Peruzzi, University of Verona, Italy.) Part 1 : The national contexts of the analysis 2. Italy, Poland, and the UK: a comparative analysis of their legal and industrial relations contexts, with specific attention to national doctrine and case-law. Comparing oranges with apples? (Alberto Mattei, University of Verona, Italy; Urzula Torbus, University of Silesia, Poland; Hazel Conley, University of the West of England, UK.) Part 2: Understanding the GPG - Lessons to be learned from the analysis of national case-studies 3. Decentralisation and the GPG in the Italian context: Case-studies, (Alberto Mattei, Donata Favaro, Nicoletta Masiero, Marco Peruzzi, University of Verona, Italy); 4. Decentralisation and the GPG in the Polish context: Case-studies (Ilona Topa, University of Silesia, Poland) 5. Decentralisation and the GPG in the UK contex: Case-studies (Hazel Conley, University of the West of England, UK; Geraldine Healy, Queen Mary University of London, UK; Pedro Martins, Queen Mary University of London, UK.) Part 3: Equality and the social partners 6. Avoiding gender bias: the role of the social partners, (Geraldine Healy, Queen Mary University of London, UK; Marco Peruzzi, University of Verona, Italy; Magdalena Poltorak, University of Silesia, Poland.) 7. The gendered nature of employment benefits, (Mirosław Czerwiński, University of Silesia, Poland; Donata Gottardi, University of Verona, Italy; Joanna Nowakowska-Malusecka, University of Silesia, Poland) 8. Transparency and the GPG, (Urzula Torbus, University of Silesia, Poland; Hazel Conley, University of the West of England, UK) 9. Conclusions (Hazel Conley, University of the West of England, UK; Donata Gottardi, University of Verona, Italy. Geraldine Healy, Queen Mary University of London, UK; Barbara Mikołajczyk, University of Silesia, Poland; Marco Peruzzi, University of Verona, Italy.) Appendix: Guidelines

Hazel Conley is Professor of Human Resource Management at University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Professor Conley has researched extensively on equality legislation, particularly in relation to gender equality, public services and equal pay. She is the co-editor of The Gower Handbook of Discrimination at Work (Gower, 2011) and co-author of Gender Equality in Public Services: Chasing the Dream (Routledge, 2015).

Donata Gottardi is Full Professor of Labour Law at the University of Verona. She was Member of the European Parliament, in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, from 2006 to 2009. Her fields of research include anti-discrimination law, equality and women rights, European law, industrial relations. She is the coordinator of the project «Close the Deal, Fill the Gap», concerning the Gender Pay Gap, funded by the European Commission under the Progress Programme. As regards her most recent publications, she is the editor of «La conciliazione delle esigenze di cura, di vita e di lavoro. Il rinnovato (Giappichelli, 2016) on the work-life balance Italian legislation, and the editor of «L'isola della maternità. Donne lavoratrici di fronte all'esperienza dell'essere madri» (Franco Angeli 2015) on the protection of mothers at work.

Geraldine Healy is Professor of Employment Relations and in the Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity at the School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London. She has published widely in leading journals on gender and ethnicity and trade unions, discrimination and disadvantage, individualism and collectivism, the gendered impact of career breaks and an international study of academic careers. Her recent work has explored the intersectionality between gender and ethnicity and the gender pay gap (particularly through the EU project ‘Close the Deal, Fill the Gap’. Her recent books include: Gender and Ethnicity at Work – Inequalities, Career an