Vevey/ Prague, March 14, 2024 – The EQUAL-SALARY Foundation is pleased to announce that Japan Tobacco International has obtained the EQUAL-SALARY certification for all its employees in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The international EQUAL-SALARY certification is a symbol of excellence in terms of equal pay and equal opportunities, combining a statistical analysis of all the salaries and an on-site audit entrusted to PwC. With our certification, JT International Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary prove that they apply equal pay and equal opportunities for women and men.
The EQUAL-SALARY certification is valid for 3 years, during which, the company undergoes two monitoring audits. After 3 years, the organization needs to renew the certification process with a new salary analysis and a full on-site audit.
« If the pay gap in OECD countries continues to narrow at the current rate, we will not see equal pay in practice for another 50 years. It is therefore important that companies such as JTI take a proactive approach to the issue and play their part in bringing about change for the better. We are delighted that JTI opened its doors to our auditors, demonstrated its commitment to equal pay and is only the third company in the Czech Republic to become EQUAL-SALARY certified », commented Lisa Rubli co-CEO of the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation.
« It goes beyond simply closing the pay gap – this is about ensuring governance to prevent pay gap to arise again due to inequalities in various processes. This involves empowering women, enhancing talent management, refining recruitment practices. For the recent three years I believe we progressed significantly in our cluster with the DEI Policy. This year, we took a significant step forward by conducting an external audit across all cluster countries. The audit was not a simple statistical analysis of wages. It comprised of focus group discussions with randomly selected employees, meetings with management, it was a comprehensive evaluation », added Yelena Yugova, JTI’s People & Culture Director for the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.
