Brickbat: Prying Eyes

Arne9001 / Dreamstime.com

A new German law gives those who work in firms with more than 200 employees the right to know what their co-workers in similar jobs are paid. The law is aimed at making sure men and women working in similar jobs are paid the same.

Comments

[Tom Bombadil]

Why aren't these companies required to send a list of employees/salaries to a central bureau? That's how a proper Socialist regime would do it.

[Rat on a train]

A proper socialist regime would set the salaries.

[Tom Bombadil]

You make a good theoretical point, but my method has a chance of creating a larger bureaucracy and more class warfare, so it might be the practical Socialist ideal.

[Longtobefree]

A proper socialist regime would outlaw pay.

[buybuydandavis]

You can take the frau out of the Stasis, but you can't take the Stasi out of the frau.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You know who else wanted to make public spectacles of those they thought had too much?

[buybuydandavis]

You didn't build that!

[Tom Bombadil]

Robin Leach?

[Libertarian]

Every woman ever?

[loveconstitution1789]

Ioseb Jughashvili (Joseph Stalin)?

[Robert]

Ben Franklin?

[Nebelwerfer]

Information asymmetry between employees reduced; libertarian screeching ensues.

[Jerryskids]

Information asymmetry between employees reduced at gunpoint; libertarian screeching ensues.

It's the "at gunpoint" part we screech about. If you want to tell your 400 employees what everybody else makes, you're free to do so and nobody's going to screech. Until you put out the press release patting yourself on the back about how intersectionally woke you are, then you'll hear something that sounds like screeching but it'll be poorly-stifled cackling.

[Fuck you, Shikha (Nunya)]

Nailed it.

[Tom Bombadil]

Information asymmetry was my girlfriend's nickname for our "relationship" in college. Or maybe it was something different, I wasn't really listening.

[Libertarian]

Was this her?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....rdeal.html

[Bubba Jones]

Wow. She is hot. Does she have a current boyfriend?

[Libertarian]

Does it matter?

[Fuck you, Shikha (Nunya)]

She has a degree in fine art according to the article. I'm surprised her defense want that this was just performance art.

[Tom Bombadil]

"'The physical violence happened for about nine months and for four years before that it was mental abuse.'"

I bet in England people actually feel sorry for him.

[Crusty Juggler]

Public eyes are watching you *clap* *clap*

[Libertarian]

I read your comment two hours ago and that song is still in my head. Damn you to hell.

[Conchfritters]

My dad told me to never ask someone how much they make. It's a good thing we aren't Germans.

[Fuck you, Shikha (Nunya)]

Dad never told you to not ask the government how much your coworker makes.

[Rebel Scum]

Fomenting resentment. Good luck with that.

[Longtobefree]

"The main reasons (for the gender gap) were differences in the branches of activity and the occupations of women and men as well as unevenly distributed leadership and qualification-related job requirements, . . . . . In addition, more women than men work part-time or are marginally employed."

So 'similar jobs' has to be fraudulently defined in order for there to be a wage gap?
You have to compare part time and full time work?
You have to compare different 'branches of activity' (?) as equal?
You have to compare different occupations as similar?

I call bullshit.

Fun fact: in the US, where lots of companies forbid or actively discourage sharing salary information, the department of labor has declared sharing wage data as a necessary step to union organizing. So go ahead and tell the world how little you make. You are protected by the mighty power of the US government.

[Fuck you, Shikha (Nunya)]

The problem is with all of those suggestions, which only come later in the article after they've clearly stated there was a 16% difference in Germany, was they obviously admitted the wasn't really an issue. They issue they'll have now is that the lazy fucks, men or women, will use the data of their coworkers to insist they be paid the same without doing the same quality of work.

[loveconstitution1789]

Less work, more money! TOP MEN!

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Are you implying that TOP MEN are more important than TOP WOMEN??? How dare you!

[Brandybuck]

New law, but old in culture. Given an exact job title one always knows the narrow salary range they are given. It's worse in some Scandanavian countries where everyone's tax returns are public.