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From George Moeritz
Leipzig. A company in Saxony is at the forefront when it comes to equal pay for women and men: Oper Leipzig is one of three winners in Germany to receive the German Equal Pay Award this year. Federal Minister for Women Lisa Paus (Greens) presented the awards on Tuesday evening in Berlin.
Women's Affairs Minister Paus said that the award-winning companies had developed various means of establishing fair salary structures and combating pay gaps. Oper Leipzig wins the German Equal Pay Award for the "radiance and assertiveness" of its remuneration system. The Saxon stage is a pioneer for the cultural sector.
The initial conditions in Leipzig were difficult, according to the jury, which consists of eight people from business, media and academia. The budget is small and there are many different types of employment contracts at the opera. However, there is a "high level of awareness of the complexity" of the gender pay gap in the company. The award recognizes the process of change that has been initiated to achieve equal pay.
Oper Leipzig has guidelines, also for fairness
Oper Leipzig has set itself twelve guidelines for strategic sustainability. Under the heading of fairness, it states that all employees have the same opportunities. Origin, gender, age, sexual orientation and religion are irrelevant in terms of development opportunities. "Oper Leipzig promotes a good work-life balance and creates appropriate framework conditions for this."
Minister Paus said that transparent and fair pay for women and men was a competitive advantage. This benefits not only the employees, but also the company. Some companies have elected employees who support a fair salary review process within their teams. In others, there is continuous monitoring of salary development.
The other two winners come from other sectors: The Pasta producer Barilla Deutschland GmbH with headquarters in Cologne and parent company in Italy was recognized for its "consistent remuneration concept". According to the jury, multiple discrimination is also taken into account. Barilla has managed to install an "equality-conscious and diverse corporate culture".
Equality prize for Barilla and Metafinanz
The consulting firm Metafinanz Informationssysteme GmbH receives the award for the innovative strength of its remuneration system. The company with headquarters in Munich With its own "Compensation Responsibles" in the teams and external salary benchmarks, Metafinanz is breaking new ground in terms of transparency and co-determination, according to the jury. The salary review process is anchored in the company independently of individuals and is sustainable.
The German Equal Pay Award was presented for the third time. The award is part of the corporate program "Promoting equal pay. Advising, supporting and strengthening companies". The Paus Ministry BMFSFJ says it offers companies support in implementing the equal pay requirement and provides information about this on its website.
According to statistics offices, women in Germany are paid an average of 19 percent less per hour than men. In Saxony, the gap is not as wide: an average of nine percent. According to the State Statistical Office, women in Saxony earn an average of 19.31 euros per hour, while men earn almost two euros more. However, earnings in Saxony are lower than the German average.
