1. Transparency and Access to Information During and Before Employment

The Directive grants employees the right to access information about their individual pay and the average pay levels, disaggregated by gender, for groups of employees performing the same work or work of equal value. Furthermore, prospective employees must be provided with information about the starting salary or salary range for the position—without having to request this information. These details should be included in the job advertisement, provided before the interview, or otherwise communicated.

2. Gender Pay Gap Reporting

Employers will be required to report pay data and gender pay gap statistics to public authorities. The average gender pay gap within each employee category should not exceed 5% for any given employer. If this threshold is exceeded, the company must provide justification and implement corrective actions.

3. Access to Pay-Setting and Progression Criteria

Employers must ensure their employees have easy access to the criteria used to determine pay levels and pay progression. These criteria must be objective and gender-neutral.

4. Obligation to Implement Pay Structures

To uphold the right to equal pay, employers will be required to establish pay structures that ensure no unjustified gender-based pay differences exist among employees performing the same work or work of equal value. Such structures should allow for comparisons of the value of different job positions within the same organizational framework.