EU Pay Transparency Directive
The text of the Directive as published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The Irish Government has announced that transposition of the Directive will occur on a phased basis, moving the goalpost from the transposition deadline of 7 June 2026. A. The Heads of a Pay Transparency Bill to transpose the Directive are currently in preparation.
The EU Commission, in response to a request, has recently again confirmed that it will not stop the clock on the transposition deadline or simplify the requirements of the Directive. This means that, while Ireland and several other Member States have not yet or only partially transposed the Directive, the legal transposition deadline of 7 June 2026 remains unchanged - and the Commission may take action against members states in respect of late transposition.
Our expert team is on hand to advise you on the legal and operational implications for your business arising from the phased transposition of the Directive. This may be of particular interest to large multinational organisations operating across multiple EU jurisdiction, that may be in various stages of the transposition process. While there are still many details yet to be finalised, there is a lot that employers can do to look ahead and prepare for the coming Irish pay transparency legislation. Employers should take steps now to examine existing pay structures, recruitment, pay transparency and gender pay gap reporting practices, and address any issues before they are legally required to do so.
We discuss the current status of Ireland’s phased approach to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive.
In this article, we explore what companies should be aware of ahead of the implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive in Ireland.
As many will be aware, employers with 50 or more employees must report on their gender pay gap this month, November 2025.
The EU Pay Transparency Directive (the Directive) came into force in June 2023 and Ireland has until 7 June 2026 to implement the new rules.
The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality has announced that the long-awaited gender pay gap reporting portal will be launched in autumn 2025.
We take a look at the case of Paula Reid v Teagasc, the contrasting decisions of the WRC and Labour Court, and set out the key takeaways for employers. Additionally, we highlight the steps employers need to take to prepare for the implementation of the Directive.
Advice on the steps your organisation can take now in preparation for the expanded gender pay gap reporting that will apply once the legislation is transposed.
Guidance on the information that must be given to employees, review of the processes you plan to roll out to address such requests.
Guidance on if and when your business should introduce workers’ representatives and on risks and practical issues in electing and communicating with workers’ representatives.
Advice on requirements for making pay-setting criteria and pay progression policies easily accessible, advice on possible exemptions for employers with fewer than 50 employees, and a review of organisational plans to publish pay philosophy or salary bands. We can also advise on how and when joint pay assessments may be triggered.
Guidance on your organisational approach to managing employee and/or workers’ representatives communications, a legal review of the communications that your business will send to employees and/or workers’ representatives around job architecture, benchmarking, salary bands, or, if you’re unsure where to begin, we can assist you to draft clear messaging.
Providing updates on the anticipated Irish pay transparency legislation as well as the government’s planned employer support tools through our ongoing monitoring of the legislative process and developments at EU level.