Brazil’s Lula says judiciary should force businesses to pay equal salaries

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The Brazilian judiciary should work on compelling businesses to pay equal wages for men and women in the same roles, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday.

In an event marking International Women’s Day, Lula also presented a bill to promote wage equality between women and men, among other measures directed toward women.

The president said the bill, which needs to be submitted to congress for approval, would make paying equal wages mandatory, “so that… no one will earn less just because they are a woman.”

“Whoever works in the same post, with the same abilities, has the right to earn the same salary,” Lula added.

In a later Twitter post, Lula said the bill also includes measures encouraging greater wage transparency.

Companies that fail to comply with the law will be subject to a fine 10 times the highest monthly salary the company pays, according to planning and budget minister Simone Tebet.

Tebet added that the bill also allows judges to rule wage differences on basis of gender be immediately rectified when proven.

(Reporting by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Josie Kao)