The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic has prepared a draft law on the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women for equal work or work of equal value and on amendments to certain related laws. The bill is proposed to take effect on 1 June 2026. The aim of the legislation is to increase transparency in the area of remuneration and to prevent unjustified differences between the wages of men and women, as well as among comparable employees.

Below are the main changes and obligations introduced by the draft law:

1. Obligation of employers to regularly report pay differences

Employers are now required to report wage differences between men and women to the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. The reporting obligation varies depending on the number of employees. Employers with fewer than 100 employees will not be required to submit a report, but may do so voluntarily. Employers with 100 to 249 employees will have to submit a report every three years, and employers with at least 250 employees will be required to submit a report annually for the relevant calendar year, always by 31 March of the following year.

The first report concerning the year 2026 must be submitted by employers no later than 7 June 2027.

2. Joint assessment of remuneration with employee representatives

If an employer has employee representatives, the draft law stipulates an obligation to carry out a joint assessment of remuneration if the report shows a pay gap of more than 5% without additional justification or elimination of this gap. This assessment is to be carried out within two months of the report being submitted and its purpose is to verify that there are no unjustified differences in remuneration between men and women. According to the draft law, differences in remuneration are only permissible if they are based on objective, gender-neutral reasons, such as higher qualifications, longer experience, better work performance, greater responsibility or more demanding working conditions. In the event of a dispute, the employer must be able to demonstrate and justify such differences.

3. Transparency of pay conditions

The draft law emphasises greater transparency in determining pay conditions. Employers will be required to establish procedures that allow employees to obtain an overview of remuneration and compare their own pay conditions with those of other employees performing the same or equivalent work. This obligation will apply to all employers with 50 or more employees.

4. Right of Employees to Information on wages

Every employee will have the right to ask their employer for information about their pay and the pay of other employees performing the same or equivalent work. The aim is to enable employees to assess whether they are being paid fairly and in accordance with the principle of equal pay. However, employees may not ask about the wages of other specific employees – the employer will only provide average data, never the exact wages of individual persons, nor data from which it would be possible to determine the specific wage of another employee.

5. Failure to comply with obligations and possible consequences

Supervisory authorities will impose a financial penalty of up to €4,000 for breaches of obligations such as failure to submit a remuneration report, failure to respond to a request for information or failure to comply with a joint remuneration assessment. The amount of the penalty will depend on the type and seriousness of the violation.

Practical consequences for employers

Employers should take the necessary measures well in advance, in particular by introducing internal mechanisms for collecting and processing remuneration data, setting up a system of regular reporting based on the number of employees, and reviewing existing remuneration processes to avoid unjustified pay differences. Timely preparation can help employers not only avoid penalties but also promote a fair working environment.

..

This material is for general information on current topics only, it is not advice. It does not take into account any special circumstances, financial situations or special requirements of the addressees. Recipients should therefore always seek appropriate professional services for the information provided. Notwithstanding the careful compilation of this material, bpv Braun Partners s.r.o. advokáti, its partners, associates or co-operating solicitors and tax advisers cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein and accepts no responsibility for acting or refraining from acting on the basis of the information contained in this material.