Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family Erik Tomáš welcomed the approval of an amendment on equal pay for men and women by the Slovak parliament, calling it an important step toward eliminating inequalities in wages. He described the decision as “a historic milestone” and a significant moment for working women in Slovakia, adding that long-standing injustice in pay has finally been addressed.
The law introduces several new obligations for employers. Companies will be required to establish transparent pay structures based on objective criteria such as job complexity, responsibility, workload, working conditions, and other relevant factors. Employers will also have to disclose salary levels or ranges in job advertisements. Employees will gain the right to request information about their own pay as well as the average pay in their job category, and any gap exceeding 5% must be justified or corrected by the employer.
The legislation also strengthens enforcement by introducing the right to financial compensation for violations of equal pay rules. The Ministry of Labour will oversee implementation, including monitoring pay disparities, raising awareness, analyzing causes of wage gaps, and publishing aggregated data. The reform is also intended to align Slovak law with an EU directive requiring member states to ensure equal pay for equal work.
Tomáš noted that women in Slovakia currently earn on average 16% less than men in comparable positions, calling it an unfair disparity that needed correction. The amendment passed with strong support in parliament, receiving backing from 123 of 137 MPs, while only opposition parties SaS and KDH voted against it, citing concerns about increased administrative burden on employers.
Source: TASR
