Equal pay: What will the new EU directive on wages bring?

What will the new EU directive bring?

Equal pay, transparent wages, the gender pay gap, and employees' right to information about wages. These topics have been appearing more and more frequently in recent months—and it is no coincidence.

On May 10, 2023, the European Union adopted the Pay Transparency Directive (EU 2023/970), which significantly changes the rules of the game for employers across Europe. The deadline of June 7, 2026, is fast approaching, by which time all EU countries (including the Czech Republic) must transpose it into their legislation. Its aim is to strengthen the principle of "equal pay for equal work or work of equal value" and improve wage transparency in companies.

Czech companies will have to implement the new rules by 2027 at the latest. For HR, management, and company owners, this means starting to prepare for the changes now.

This was the focus of our webinar Equal Pay in Practice, where we discussed with a legal expert what the new European legislation really means for the day-to-day operations of companies.

Why equal pay is being addressed now

The main reason for the new legislation is the long-standing problem of pay inequality. Among other things, the European directive responds to a situation where employees often do not have access to information about wages and are therefore unable to detect possible discrimination or unequal treatment.

The new rules therefore introduce greater transparency in pay, for example:

• the right of employees to obtain information about wages in comparable positions
• the obligation of employers to publish pay criteria
• gradual reporting of the gender pay gap for larger employers
• the obligation of employers to disclose the offered wage to candidates during recruitment.

The aim of the directive is to reduce unjustified differences in remuneration and ensure that pay systems are transparent and justifiable.

What was discussed at the webinar: the most frequently asked questions from practice

Must employees in the same position automatically receive the same pay?

Different pay may be acceptable if it is based on objective and transparent criteria, such as performance, experience, or responsibility.

Where do risks of unequal pay most often arise?

Very often when recruiting new employees or during individual wage negotiations.

Why do companies have trouble proving fair pay?

Often, the problem isn't intentional discrimination, but an unclear pay structure or missing documentation.

What new rights will employees gain under the European directive?

The new legislation strengthens employees' right to obtain information about remuneration and compare their wages with those of people in similar positions.

What companies should start addressing now

The webinar highlighted several steps that are worth addressing before the directive is implemented:

✅ Analyze the current remuneration system

✅ Define objective criteria for salaries and bonuses

✅ Set up a structure of positions and salary bands

✅ Prepare internal rules for remuneration transparency

✅ Prepare for communication with employees

Transparent remuneration is not just a legal issue.

It can very quickly become a matter of the company's reputation, employee trust, and employer branding.

Do you want to set up remuneration in your company correctly?

If you are interested in this topic and want to learn more, we have prepared a practical one-day workshop on equal pay,

where we will go through specific implementation procedures in practice.

Name	Code	Language	Course duration	Form	Event date	Price
Equal Pay Workshop	PU26010003-0003		1 day	virtual classroom Online training with a lecturer at a specific time. virtual classroom	20. 4. 2026 09:00	5 900 Kč
Equal Pay Workshop	PU26010003-0004		1 day	classroom The course with an instructor in classroom. classroom	22. 4. 2026 09:00	5 900 Kč

The workshop will focus on topics such as:

✔ the legal framework for equal pay

✔ the impact of the new European directive on wage transparency

✔ identifying risks in company remuneration

✔ setting wage bands and remuneration rules

✔ communicating with employees about wages

Participants will also receive a practical implementation plan that they can immediately use in their organization.