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Fico: Cabinet Can't Force Employers to Pay Women Same as Men
Monday 08 March 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - I wish you all the best on International Women's Day and I'm looking forward to meetings in Hlohovec (Trnava region), Ruzomberok, Martin (both Zilina region) and Bratislava, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday following criticism earlier in the day of his Smer-SD party for the way that it has celebrated IWD.
Several dozen people gathered outside the Government Office on Monday to express their disapproval of the fact that Smer, which Fico chairs, organised a series of meetings across Slovakia at which a number of sexist jokes were told instead of discussions on women's rights.
The protest was also aimed at pointing out that Slovakia is failing to comply with its commitments in the area of women's rights, The organisers drew up an open letter to Fico in which they reminded him that "discrimination against women is a harsh reality all over the world", including in Slovakia.
Asked what the current Cabinet has done to bridge the 25-percent remuneration gap between men and women, the premier claimed that this Government hasn't adopted a single measure that would aggravate the status of women.
"Not to mention the fact that no measures introducing inequality between men and women have been made," said Fico. "We've gone in for several moves concerning support for young families."
The gap in remuneration is a long-term issue affecting not only Slovakia. "It's in the employers' attitudes, and it's a matter of time," said Fico, stressing that the Government has no tools to press employers into paying men and women the same salaries.
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