Brussels, 22 September 2014 - During the Plenary Meeting of the European Social Dialogue Committee on Telecommunications, the social partners UNI Europa and the European Telecommunication Network Operators’ Association (ETNO) signed a Joint Declaration on gender equality.
This Joint Declaration aims at reaffirming the position of the telecom sector on gender equality and its belief that diversity in all functions and at all levels of a company is a guarantee of success. The social partners already highlighted their sector’s commitment in their report “Diversity at Work”, published in 2007.
ETNO Director, Daniel Pataki said: “Equality between women and men is one of the European Union's founding values. In the telecom sector, we see it as key to achieving a diverse and talented workforce.”
President of the Telecom Social Dialogue Committee Torben Andresen Lindhardt said: “Independent career possibilities, independent wage conditions and independent work life balance is crucial for women in the ICT sector. I am very happy about this joint declaration and hope that ETNO members will do their best to implement this at local company level.”
The social partners support a level playing field in which men and women receive equal treatment and have equal opportunities in terms of accessing jobs and employment as well as vocational training, qualifications and career development. This includes access to top management and management positions, equal pay and equal working conditions.
About ETNO:
ETNO represents Europe’s biggest telecommunications network operators and is the principal policy group for European e-communications network operators. Its 50 members and observers in 35 countries collectively account for a turnover of more than € 600 billion and employ over 1.6 million people. ETNO’s primary purpose is to promote a positive policy environment allowing the EU telecommunications sector to deliver best quality services to consumers and businesses.
About UNI Europa:
UNI Europa is a European trade union federation, representing represents more than 20 million workers from over 900 trade unions in the fastest growing sectors in the world – skills and services. Through its Sector Global Unions, UNI represents workers in Cleaning and Security, Commerce, Finance, Gaming, Graphical and Packaging, Hair and Beauty, Information, Communication, Technology and Services Industry (ICTS), Media, Entertainment and Arts, Post and Logistics, Social Insurance, Sport, Temp and Agency workers, and Tourism industries as well as Professionals and Managers, Women and Youth. UNI Europa is based in Brussels and is part of UNI global union whose headquarters are in Nyon (Switzerland).