ǂThe ǂeffect of the Pay Transparency Directive on the protection of the right to equal treatment : legal possibilities and challenges in enforcement and non-contentious proceedings

Andolšek, Jure (author), Letnar Černič, Jernej (author)

The Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970 represents a significant step toward reducing gender pay gaps and promoting equal treatment in employment. This article provides an in-depth legal and empirical analysis of the Directive’s implementation challenges and opportunities within the Slovenian context, with a particular focus on enforcement and non-contentious legal mechanisms. Based on qualitative interviews with Slovenian employees, the study explores how workers perceive transparency measures and legal protections against discrimination. Findings reveal that pay transparency strengthens perceptions of fairness but also highlight practical concerns related to privacy, procedural delays, and cultural attitudes toward pay disclosure. The article concludes with policy and legal recommendations for effective implementation, including awareness-raising, the development of alternative legal remedies, and the alignment of national jurisprudence with the case law of the CJEU.

• Language: English
• Keywords: legislation, human rights, equality, pay transparency, equal pay, legal protection, EU directive, labour law
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: str. 83-124
• Numbering: ǂ[Št.] ǂ103
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178072
• UDC: 34
• ISSN on article: 1408-9653
• COBISS.SI-ID: 256798467
• Publication date in RUL: 09.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Dignitas. revija za človekove pravice
• Shortened title: Dignitas
• Publisher: Nova revija, Nova revija, Fakulteta za državne in evropske študije, Fakulteta za slovenske in mednarodne študije
• ISSN: 1408-9653
• COBISS.SI-ID: 98923520

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Učinek Direktive o preglednosti plačil na varstvo pravice do enakega obravnavanja : pravne možnosti in izzivi pri uveljavljanju ter v nepravdnih postopkih

Abstract

Direktiva (EU) 2023/970 o preglednosti plač predstavlja pomemben korak k odpravi plačnih razlik med spoloma in krepitvi enakega obravnavanja v delovnih razmerjih. Prispevek ponuja poglobljeno analizo pravnih določb direktive in možnosti za njeno implementacijo v slovenskem kontekstu, pri čemer izpostavlja vlogo izvršilnega in nepravdnega prava. Temelji na poglobljenih intervjujih s slovenskimi zaposlenimi, ki razkrivajo, kako ti dojemajo ukrepe za plačno transparentnost ter pravno zaščito pred diskriminacijo. Rezultati kažejo, da plačna transparentnost pozitivno vpliva na občutek pravičnosti, vendar opozarjajo tudi na izzive, povezane z varstvom zasebnosti, dolgotrajnimi postopki ter kulturnimi razlikami pri dojemanju preglednosti. Članek ponuja konkretna priporočila za učinkovito implementacijo direktive, vključno s potrebo po ozaveščanju zaposlenih, razvoju alternativnih pravnih poti in prilagoditvi pravne prakse smernicam SEU.

• Keywords: zakonodaja, človekove pravice, enakopravnost, plačna preglednost, enako plačilo, pravna zaščita, direktiva EU, delovno pravo