France: Equality agreement signed in metalworking sector

A national agreement on "equality at work and measures to abolish pay gaps between women and men" in the metalworking industry was signed on 19 June 2007 by the UIMM sectoral employers' organisation and four trade unions (the metalworking affiliates of the CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC confederations).

The metalworking accord, one of the first sectoral agreements to be signed on the subject, is a follow-up to a national cross-industry agreement on equality signed in March 2004 and legislation adopted in March 2006 that seeks to eliminate gender pay gaps by the end of 2010.