How is an employee’s salary determined, and how can they establish whether they are being paid equally for their work? From Sunday, November 1, 2026, these questions take on added significance as new rules on pay transparency and equal pay for women and men come into force.
The new labour framework sets out specific obligations for private-sector employers and strengthens transparency both during recruitment and throughout the employment relationship.
At the heart of the new provisions is the principle that employees’ pay must be determined exclusively by the work they perform and its value, rather than their gender.
To this end, prospective employees will receive more information before being hired, while existing employees will be granted broader rights to access pay-related information.
At the same time, checks will be introduced to identify unjustified pay differences, while companies will be required to take corrective action whenever inequalities are found.
Employee protection and their ability to claim equal treatment and fair pay are also being strengthened.
Pay structures based on objective criteria
From November 1, 2026, all employers, regardless of the number of people they employ, will be required to have and implement pay structures that ensure equal pay for the same work or work of equal value.
These structures must be documented in writing, allow jobs to be assessed and compared, provide for a review procedure and clearly specify the components of remuneration for each employee category.
Job evaluation must be based on objective, gender-neutral criteria, which will be developed in agreement with employee representatives, where such representatives exist. These criteria include skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions. Other factors relevant to the specific job or position may also be taken into account, such as length of service and relevant soft skills.
