Overview

• Directive 2023/970 bans contractual pay secrecy and grants employees the right to request individual and median salary data by gender within two months of a formal inquiry.
• All workers in both public and private sectors are covered, with firms required to provide gender-segmented pay information by job category.
• Companies with more than 50 employees must comply by 7 June 2026 or face sanctions and prove they have not practiced discrimination.
• Firms across the EU, notably in Italy, are finalizing payroll systems and revising contracts to meet transparency rules ahead of the one-year countdown.
• Advocates say mandated pay disclosure will help narrow the 13% gender pay gap, strengthen trust in workplaces and reduce legal risks.