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Fathers earn more
Fathers earn more than childless men with the same age and education. This results from a recent study involving 4.285 Dutch men with higher education, both academic and professional. They participated in the WageIndicator survey during the last quarter of 2007 and the first of 2008.
Across the board fathers make a gross average of € 6 more. They earn around € 24.50 per hour as against € 18.50 by their less fortunate male colleagues. The childrens’ age has no significant impact on this gap. Therefore it seems, once the fathers’ lead has been established, it is there to stay.
Fathers earn more (in Dutch, pdf, 80 kB)
Flexwage dominates? Less please. Little flexwage? More please.
Employees in sectors of the Dutch economy where flexwages are common, opt for more security. This applies in particular to the bank and insurance sector (4 out of 5 get a flexwage), ICT/telecom and the chemical industry (three quarters has flexwage). But in sectors where flexwages occur less, employees would prefer to see more of it. This appears to be the case in particular in textile, clothing and paper, agriculture and fisheries, as well as in retail, where less then 50 percent get flexwages.
This results from a study commissioned by FNV Bondgenoten – the largest trade union in the Netherlands – using the Dutch WageIndicator dataset to analyze ‘Flexible remuneration in the Netherlands’. The study results were debated during a special conference in June and have been published as a brochure with the same title by FNV Press.
Some other outstanding outcomes are: the lowly paid are less afraid of performance pay than the highly paid, and likewise elderly workers have less problems with being paid according to performance than their younger colleagues.
Flexibel Loon (In Dutch, pdf, 720 Kb)
Tusalario.org/Colombia online
Bogota, May 20, 2008. The Colombian WageIndicator is operational, bringing the number of actively participating LA-countries to 5. For the occasion LA-coordinator Paulo Roberto Valle from DIEESE (Sao Paulo) visits Bogota and discusses next steps with his Colombian trade union partners from Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT). This latest extension is funded by the Dutch Christian Trade Union Confederation. Earlier this year Chile was brought online. Paper surveys in Guatemala and Paraguay are to follow soon.
WageIndicator China - 3 similar surveys
Beijing, May 13, 2008. In preparation of the official launch of the Chinese WageIndicator the ILO offices in Bangkok and Beijing organized a 2-day conference in the Chinese capital. Here the potential of the survey tool was debated, involving Chinese academic circles from Hong Kong and Beijing, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Labour. The result is that from the start in autumn 3 similar surveys will be held in Beijing: online, a classical random paper survey and a telephone enquiry. In this way cross checks and benchmarks will be built in.
When unions decline do WageIndicators step in?
Amsterdam, April 16, 2008. Trade unions are on the decline in traditional industries and public sectors, once their power base. Moreover individuals with enough market power do without collective organization and those with too little are not capable of it. This bleak future was painted by professor Jelle Visser - University of Amsterdam - in his contribution to the global WageIndicator event on April 16th in Amsterdam. Visser argued that there is room for an instrument like the WageIndicators to step in.
As unions do, Visser said, WageIndicators have a lighthouse function: they signal information for all , but they are not necessarily publicly paid. A WageIndicator provides signals to users about the wage norm or standard rate for particular jobs, or may identify pay gaps. This function of WageIndicators requires collective action. Therefore they may be easier to set up under conditions where unions have difficulties organizing. The only function WageIndicators cannot take over from the unions is the actual collective bargaining. But they may deliver input for the process, Visser concluded.
Global Wage Trend Report to draw on WageIndicator dataset
Amsterdam, April 16, 2008. Manuela Tomei during the WageIndicator event pointed out its potential contribution to the ILO-Global Wage Trend Report. Tomei, who heads the Conditions of Work and Employment Programme in Geneva, highlighted WageIndicator’s updated data on prevailing market wages, its easy access, wide dissemination and participatory approach - no problem of free-rider. It provides occupation specific data, which are internationally comparable. All this makes the potential contribution to the Global Wage Trend Report very valuable, she insisted.
WageIndicator may also help to eventually bridge the statistical divide between industrialized and developing countries. And anyhow, even in industrialized countries, more transparency is needed, Tomei said. This is key to an effective dialogue between employers and employees. To avoid the deadlock Tomei expressed as: “I don’t believe your dodgy data, and my data says the opposite”, but create trust instead.
Worldwide average gender pay gap 16 percent
London, March 6, 2008. Worldwide the average gender pay gap is 16 percent.
No matter how hard they study and even when they are better educated, women
do not really catch up with the pay levels of their male colleagues. Amongst
trade union members in general the gender pay gap is somewhat smaller.
For more results consult the ITUC Gender Pay Gap Report:
ITUC Gender Pay
Report
ITUC Gender Pay Report, appendix (pdf, 1,2 MB)
World map, showing gender pay gap (pdf, 84 kB)
European map, showing gender pay gap (pdf, 63 kB)
Multinationals bear national stamps
Amsterdam, February 21, 2008. A comparative study of multinationals active
in the Netherlands, based on a sample of 60,000 respondents, reveal is that
they differ in the cultures of the country of origin. Thus Americans import
their ways, as the Japanese do. They don't like unionism or works councils,
but cherish hard work. High achievers are welcome, but not pampered. See
chapter 7 of Fabienne
Fortanier's dissertation in the publications section.
Minimum Wage Check with report function
Amsterdam, January 8, 2008. Do the Minimum Wage Check and find out
if you are paid less than the legal minimum in the Netherlands. And if you are, you may notify the Dutch Labour Inspectorate directly, using this tool. Since the beginning of 2008 this
new service is online. For Polish migrant workers the
tool is offered in Polish both at Loonwijzer.nl and at Twojezarobi.pl.
Win a minimum wage
Amsterdam, January 8, 2008. Additional prize money once a year!
Submit your completed questionnaire and from now on you not only compete for a
trip to Africa, as before, but also for the
weekly/monthly minimum wage in the country where you work.
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