
2023’s EU Directive 2023/970 to “strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms”, also known as the Pay Transparency Directive, must be implemented by European member states by no later than 7 June 2026.
With such a timescale you might be tempted to the view that this is an issue that can be pushed back until next year. We don’t recommend this. The Directive – which it is worth remembering sets the minimum standards employers must be ready to meet by June 2026 – sets out very clearly the potential implications of not being ready (information requests from individual employees, a joint pay assessment, claims and sanctions from national authorities, to name a few) . Employers would be well-advised to consider what it means for them sooner rather than later. Whilst 15 months may well be a long time in politics, when it comes to the Pay Transparency Directive, it is anything but.