Rome, 3 March 2026 - Confindustria, ABI, ANIA, Casartigiani, CNA, Confartigianato, Confcommercio, Confcooperative, Confesercenti and Legacoop spoke today at a hearing before the Senate's 10th Commission, presenting a joint memorandum on the transposition of the EU Directive on pay transparency and equal pay for men and women.

The Associations recognise the centrality of the principle of equal economic treatment of men and women for equal work, confirming that, under the terms of the directive, equal treatment does not mean “equalising” pay, but ensuring that any differences are based on objective, gender-neutral criteria.

Furthermore, they agree on the positive assessment of the introduction in the draft legislative decree approved on 5 February by the Council of Ministers of the presumption of compliance with the principles of equality and transparency for collective bargaining agreements signed by the comparatively most representative organisations, because these contracts have always defined classifications and classifications on the basis of objective and gender-neutral criteria.

The associations therefore call for more consistency in the text: in order to identify “same work” and “work of equal value”, reference must be made, in each case, to the collective labour agreements signed by the comparatively most representative organisations in the sector concerned.

In fact, a generic reference to the contract applied by the employer risks producing distorting effects with respect to the approach of valorising the collective bargaining implemented by contractual agents that are comparatively more representative at national level.

What was expressed at the hearing today is consistent with the commitment promoted by the employers' associations for inclusion, equal opportunities, and the enhancement of gender policies.