Gender equality in public administration: A CESI debate in Rome

On April 9, 2025, a meeting organised by the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), in collaboration with ANIEF (Professional and Trade Union Association), CSA (Regions and Local Authorities), and Cisal (Italian Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions), took place at “Spazio Europa,” the European Parliament headquarters in Rome. The significant debate on the topic “Women and Work in Public Administration in Italy and the EU” is part of CESI’s “eQUALPro” project, co-financed by the European Commission.

The event was moderated by journalist Lorena Loiacono and began with official greetings via video message from Ana GALLEGO TORRES, Director-General of DG JUST – Justice and Consumers at the European Commission, Francesco CAVALLARO, Secretary-General of CISAL, and Klaus HEEGER, Secretary-General of CESI.

“The theme of this event – gender equality in public employment – is more relevant than ever. It’s not only about equality: it’s about quality, justice, and modernisation,” stated Klaus Heeger. He also underlined how CESI, through the eQualPRO project, wants to convey a clear message: the European Union has done a lot for gender equality in the workplace, yet too many women still find themselves in disadvantaged situations. This is also true in public administrations, where pay gaps, pension disparities, and career inequalities remain.

In the first session, an overview of EU policies and directives on gender equality in the workplace was discussed, featuring Director Carlo CORAZZA, Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Rome.

The second session focused on gender equality in Italian public administration, covering wage and pension gaps, career progression, training and skills development, performance evaluation, recruitment procedures, the role of trade unions and social partners, and case studies on regional and local authority staff, as well as the education and research sector. Speakers included Sabrina Maria PELLERITO, Vice-President of CESI’s SOC Commission, Daniela ROSANO, Secretary-General of ANIEF, Francesco GAROFALO, Secretary-General of CSA, Chiara COZZETTO, Secretary-General of ANIEF / Deputy Secretary-General of Confedir, and Massimo BLASI, Confederation Secretary of CISAL.

The closing remarks were delivered by Marcello PACIFICO, President of the Italian ANIEF and of CESI Europe Academy. He highlighted that the Italian education sector is female-dominated but that, until 2018, education professionals earned €1,000 more than ministry workers, while now they earn less. “Our schools are staffed by women with high degrees who earn less and have limited career advancement. Many women in the South prefer precarious jobs near their families rather than relocating for permanent roles. Burn-out is another issue; it’s not even measured in public administration, though it is a criminal offence in precarious contracts. Concrete action is needed,” he concluded.