Germany adopts wage transparency law to promote equal pay for men, women

The German Bundesrat (Federal Council) passed a wage transparency law Friday, which serves as a step toward equal wages for men and women for comparable working activities.

The law includes the right to information on the average wages of colleagues with similar work in larger companies.

Employees in companies with more than 200 colleagues will be able to access information on the average wages of those with comparable work activities.

The law, proposed by Federal Minister of Family Affairs Manuela Schwesig in June 2016, impacts around 14 million employees in Germany.

Companies with over 500 employees will have to implement an operational procedure to assess their wage structure regarding equal pay. The companies will also have to present reports concerning the advancement of gender equality.

Though slightly decreased, the gender pay gap has not significantly improved over the past 10 years, according to the Federal Statistical Office. In 2006, female employees earned 23 percent less than their male counterparts. Enditem