From 7 June, new rules on equal pay will come into force in Slovakia, significantly changing the system of wage determination and salary transparency in companies. The reform affects both employers and employees and introduces stricter oversight of pay gaps, particularly between men and women.
The main change will be mandatory salary transparency. Even at the hiring stage, companies will be required to include a starting salary or salary range in job advertisements. In addition, employers will have to use gender-neutral job titles and will no longer be allowed to ask candidates about their previous salaries. The aim is to prevent existing pay disparities from being carried over into new jobs.
Requests for Information on Colleagues’ Salaries
Employees will also gain expanded rights to information: they will be able to request data about their own salary as well as the average pay levels for comparable positions within the company. The information provided must be anonymised so that the salary of any specific colleague cannot be identified.
Companies, in turn, will be required to fully revise their remuneration systems. They must introduce transparent and objective criteria for determining salaries, such as job complexity, responsibility, working conditions, and qualifications. Employers will also be required to conduct regular internal pay audits and be prepared for state inspections.
Particular attention is being given to the gender pay gap. If the difference in pay between men and women in comparable positions exceeds 5% and the company cannot justify it with objective reasons, it may face inspections, fines, and an obligation to compensate affected employees.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Additional reporting obligations will apply to large companies. Organisations with 100 or more employees will be required to regularly submit reports on their pay structures, the proportion of men and women in the workforce, and pay differences across staff categories. The frequency of reporting will depend on company size — the larger the workforce, the more frequent the reporting requirements.
If a significant unjustified pay gap is identified following analysis, the company will be required to conduct an in-depth audit together with employee representatives. This audit must identify the causes of the discrepancies and propose measures to eliminate them.
In cases of violations, employees will be entitled to full compensation for unpaid wages without any upper limit, as well as reimbursement of related losses and moral damages. In legal disputes, the burden of proof will be shifted to the employer: the company must demonstrate that any pay differences are lawful and objectively justified.
Fines for violations of the new rules will range from €4,000 to €8,000, along with the risk of mandatory compensation payments and a full adjustment of the company’s pay structure.
Experts note that the reform may become one of the most significant developments in labour law in recent years, as it effectively changes the entire approach to salary setting — from a closed corporate practice to a fully transparent model.
