“Promoting gender equality in the workplace, the market and in the community is particularly important to us because we believe that empowering women brings benefits not only to individuals but also to society as a whole. This strategic approach encourages economic and social growth, contributing to building a better future. Cemex currently employs 18% women, which is slightly more than the industry average, and even 44% of the company’s top management are women“, emphasized Alen Voloder, president of the board.
Mirela Kotarac, director of human resources and member of the board of Cemex, emphasized the implementation of new practices that are the result of active work, and highlighted changes in the sphere of equal pay for men and women:
“Cemex is actively working to strengthen professional and personal opportunities for women at all levels of our organization. We are aware of the potential and importance of all our employees, and every day we strive to improve the systems and tools that directly and indirectly affect them. We build the salary management system by regular annual adjustment of salary grades with the market, and when raising salaries, we correct any inequalities, taking care of the most needy groups. We recently signed a new Collective Agreement, which agreed to increase salaries and benefits to ensure protection against market price increases and the results of inflation.“
Cemex, Committe for Diversity and Inclusion
According to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the average monthly net salary paid per employee in the fourth quarter of 2023 was EUR 1,156 for women and EUR 1,224 for men. In addition, women in Croatia have an average salary of 11% less than men, which is close to the average salary difference in the European Union of 13%. It is important to be aware of the differences as well as the reasons for them, and the case of women being paid less is largely related to the fact that they spend more time on unpaid work. We are talking about housework as well as childcare, and women in countries like Croatia, Austria, and Slovenia spend more than 15 hours a week on these jobs.
In addition to equality, emphasis is also placed on salary transparency, which the European Union makes possible through the introduction of the Directive on salary transparency. The directive was adopted at the beginning of 2023, and based on it, from 2026, companies will have to report on pay equality and, in the event of a difference of more than 5%, implement corrective measures in cooperation with workers’ representatives. There are several important positive consequences that pay transparency brings, namely greater awareness of discrimination, increased social responsibility, empowerment of employees through equal pay, and elimination of gender bias in relation to pay.
The INC.Q Equal Pay certificate is awarded by the Spona Code company based on an independent analysis of management policies and salary systems based on a scientifically based methodology that determines the transparency of the salary system, financial rewards and other forms of employee compensation and rewards.
The certificate confirms that the organizational system transparently categorizes salaries by salary grades and positions, with a clear system of annual awards in accordance with objectively agreed distributions between departments and individuals. Also, with performance evaluation, the contribution of each individual is fairly and impartially recognized and equal pay for work of equal value is ensured.
Organizations that, by the Directive, ensure equal pay for work of equal value with a tolerance of an explainable difference of up to 5% are awarded the INC.Q Equal Pay certificate, while organizations above the permitted threshold agree and implement an adjustment plan to ensure equal pay and be ready for the upcoming legal changes.
