ETUCE Webinar: Making Pay Transparency Work for Education
On 26 October 2026, the Fair Pay, Stronger Profession: Why the EU Gender Pay Transparency Directive Matters for Education webinar brought together education trade union representatives and experts from across Europe to explore how the new EU Gender Pay Transparency Directive and associated tools can be used to advance gender equality, strengthen collective bargaining, and enhance the attractiveness and status of the teaching profession.
Webinar participants reflected on the persistent gender inequalities that continue to affect education despite the existence of formally gender-neutral salary scales in many countries. Speakers highlighted that inequalities often arise through occupational segregation, unequal access to leadership positions, career progression patterns, additional allowances, and the historical undervaluation of professions predominantly carried out by women. These factors contribute not only to gender pay and pension gaps but also to broader challenges related to recruitment, retention and recognition of education personnel.
Representatives from ETUC and EPSU presented the main provisions of the EU Gender Pay Transparency Directive and highlighted the importance of gender-neutral job evaluation ( EIGE guidelines and toolkit) in identifying structural pay inequalities. Discussions focused on how education trade unions can use pay transparency, reporting obligations and access to pay data to strengthen collective bargaining and advance gender equality.
Through an interactive quiz and discussion, participants examined how education trade unions can use new transparency rights, pay-gap reporting requirements, and gender-neutral job evaluation tools to strengthen collective bargaining and challenge the undervaluation of educational work.
In her presentation, Rossella Benedetti, Chair of the ETUCE Standing Committee for Equality, emphasised that the teaching profession remains undervalued compared to many other professions requiring similar levels of education and responsibility. She argued that the Directive offers an important opportunity to address the broader issue of job undervaluation, particularly in highly feminised sectors such as early childhood education, and to ensure that skills, responsibilities and care-related aspects of educational work are properly recognised and valued. The webinar also featured examples from education trade unions in Italy (FLC-CGIL) and the United Kingdom (NASUWT), demonstrating how pay transparency can support advocacy for fairer remuneration systems, equal career opportunities and stronger social dialogue in the education sector. Participants agreed that the Directive should not be viewed merely as a compliance exercise, but as a strategic tool for promoting gender equality, improving working conditions and enhancing the attractiveness of the teaching and research professions.
