Μake us preferred on Google Starting Nov. 1, businesses across Greece will be required to adopt transparent pay structures designed to ensure that men and women receive equal pay for the same work or work of equal value, under new legislation aimed at addressing gender wage disparities in the private sector.
The changes are part of Greece’s implementation of a European Union directive adopted in 2023 to strengthen equal pay protections across the bloc. The legislation, which brings Greek law in line with EU requirements, seeks to make salary decisions more transparent, give workers greater access to pay information and make it easier to challenge wage discrimination.
The rules will apply to every employer, regardless of the size of the business. A circular issued by the Labor Ministry sets out how the legislation will be implemented, introducing new requirements for hiring, salary decisions and the disclosure of pay information.
Under the new rules, employers must use objective, gender-neutral criteria to determine salaries. Job applicants will be entitled to information about the pay offered for a position, while existing employees will be able to request details about average earnings among men and women performing the same or equivalent work.
The changes are intended to make it easier for workers to identify possible discrimination and challenge pay differences that employers cannot adequately explain.
What Workers Will Be Entitled to Know
One of the most significant changes concerns access to salary information, which will no longer depend entirely on what employers choose to disclose. Employees will be able to submit written requests for information about their own pay level and the average earnings of male and female colleagues in comparable positions. Employers must respond within two months and inform their staff annually of their right to request this information and how to exercise it.
The law does not require companies to reveal individual employees’ salaries. Instead, employers must provide aggregate figures, with safeguards to protect personal information.
Employment contracts will also be prohibited from preventing workers from disclosing their own salaries when doing so is intended to protect their right to equal pay.
Larger Companies Face Mandatory Pay Gap Reporting
Businesses with at least 100 employees will face additional requirements to report gender pay differences to the Greek Ombudsman, the Labor Inspectorate and employee representatives.
The reporting schedule will depend on company size. Companies with more than 250 employees must submit their first reports by June 7, 2027, and continue doing so annually. Businesses with 150 to 249 workers will also begin reporting by June 7, 2027, but will submit their figures every three years. Smaller companies with 100 to 149 employees will have until June 7, 2031, to file their first reports, followed by reporting every three years.
The reports must cover more than basic salaries. Employers will have to disclose overall gender pay gaps, differences in bonuses and other variable compensation, and the distribution of male and female employees across pay brackets. They must also provide breakdowns by employee category, allowing authorities and workers to examine whether people performing comparable work are being paid differently.
What Happens When a Gender Pay Gap Exceeds 5%?
The legislation also establishes a process for addressing significant pay differences that cannot be explained by objective factors.
If a company’s reported figures reveal a pay gap of at least 5% between men and women in a particular category of workers, the employer may be required to conduct a joint pay assessment with employee representatives. That requirement applies when the disparity cannot be justified by objective, gender-neutral criteria and has not been corrected within six months of the report being submitted.
The assessment is intended to identify the reasons for the difference and determine what action is needed to eliminate unjustified disparities. Employers must implement the necessary corrective measures within one year of being notified of the assessment.
The law also provides stronger protections for employees who report pay discrimination.
November Marks the Start, Not the Reporting Deadline
The Labor Ministry has clarified that Nov. 1, 2026, is the date the new provisions take effect, not the deadline for companies to submit their first gender pay reports. That distinction gives businesses time to prepare their reporting systems, although the broader obligation to establish fair and transparent pay structures will apply from November, regardless of how many people they employ.
For workers, the more immediate change will be the ability to ask questions about pay that employers will now be legally required to answer.
Source: OT.gr
