New law on equal pay for men and women passed

The Act transposes the EU Directive on pay transparency and entered into force on 7 June 2026.

Its aim is to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay and to increase transparency in remuneration. According to the approved version of the Act, the following rights and obligations are introduced in particular:

• a ban on asking job applicants about their previous earnings;
• an obligation on employers to introduce a remuneration structure based on criteria that must be objective and non-discriminatory, by 31 July 2026;
• the right of an employee to information about their own pay and the average level of pay (or pay band) in the same job category, broken down by gender;
• the employer’s obligation to report pay gaps to the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, depending on the size of the employer;
• if the report reveals a difference in the average pay of men and women of at least 5% and this cannot be justified by objective criteria not based on discrimination, the employer must take measures to eliminate it;
• prohibition on confidentiality regarding pay – agreed clauses preventing an employee from discussing their pay are prohibited and invalid;
• extended right to compensation and a shift in the burden of proof to the employer if they have failed to fulfil their legal obligations.

Penalties are also being tightened. The originally proposed fines ranging from EUR 500 to EUR 4,000 for failure to comply with the reporting obligation to the Ministry of Labour are increased to EUR 4,000 to EUR 8,000 (following the expiry of an additional grace period), with the amount depending on the severity, duration, consequences and frequency of the breach. This brings the fines into line with penalties for illegal employment.

You can find out more about pay transparency and its practical implications for employers and employees in our previous article.