How is an employee’s salary determined, and how can they establish whether they are being paid fairly for their work? From Sunday, 1 November 2026, these questions take on new significance as regulations on pay transparency and equal pay for women and men come into force.

The new framework, established under Law 5316/2026 to transpose European Union Directive 2023/970, sets out specific obligations for private-sector employers and strengthens transparency both during recruitment and throughout the employment relationship.

At the heart of the new provisions is the principle that employees’ pay must be determined exclusively by the work they perform and its value, rather than their gender.

To this end, prospective employees will receive more information before being hired, while existing employees will have stronger rights to access information about pay.

The framework also provides for checks to identify unjustified pay gaps and requires businesses to take corrective action when inequalities are found.

At the same time, protections for employees and their ability to seek equal treatment and fair pay are being strengthened.

Pay structures based on objective criteria

From 1 November 2026, all employers, regardless of the number of people they employ, will be required to have and implement pay structures that ensure equal pay for the same work or work of equal value.

These structures must be documented in writing, allow jobs to be compared, provide for a review process and clearly specify the components of remuneration for each employee category.

Job evaluations must be based on objective criteria free from gender discrimination, drawn up in agreement with employee representatives where such representatives exist. These criteria include skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions. Other factors relevant to the particular job or position may also be taken into account, such as seniority and relevant soft skills.

Where an employer is bound by a collective labour agreement, it may use the job classifications and pay scales set out in that agreement.

Businesses will also be required to conduct internal reviews of the gender pay gap, with the aim of identifying in good time any disparities that cannot be explained by objective factors. They must submit data on the gender pay gap, the gap in bonuses, the median pay gap and pay differences across employee categories.

Where disparities are identified that cannot be justified by objective, gender-neutral criteria – such as greater experience, higher qualifications or the requirements of the role – the business must take the necessary corrective action in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

What the rules mean for job adverts and recruitment

Transparency begins before a person is even hired. Under the legislation, job adverts, vacancy announcements and other recruitment notices may not refer to gender or marital and family status, or use criteria that result in direct or indirect gender discrimination.

In addition, job applicants are entitled to be informed, before their first interview, of the starting salary or pay range offered for the position. This information must be based on objective, gender-neutral criteria and include the provisions of any applicable collective labour agreement.

Employers will also be prohibited from asking applicants how much they earned in previous jobs. The aim is to prevent existing pay inequalities from being perpetuated and ensure that remuneration for a new position is determined by the requirements of the job, qualifications and objective assessment criteria.

This will allow applicants to know the pay framework for a position before applying, without their previous earnings serving as a benchmark for determining their new salary.

Pay transparency in practice

One significant development is that employees will be able to submit written requests for information about both their individual pay level and the average pay levels, broken down by gender, within categories of employees performing the same work or work of equal value.

Employers must provide this information within a reasonable period and, in any case, within two months of receiving the request.

They must also inform all staff every year about this right and how it can be exercised.

The information must be provided in compliance with personal data protection and confidentiality rules.

When checks on pay differences are triggered

A key element is the mechanism for a joint pay assessment, which is triggered when three conditions are met simultaneously: the average pay gap between women and men is at least 5% in any employee category; the difference cannot be justified by objective, gender-neutral criteria; and it has not been corrected within six months of the data being submitted.

The aim is to identify unjustified disparities, take steps to remedy them and prevent them from recurring.

The joint assessment includes recording the proportion of women and men in each employee category, examining their average pay levels and analysing additional or variable components of remuneration.

Pay differences must also be recorded and their causes investigated using objective, gender-neutral criteria jointly established by the employer and employee representatives.

The assessment must also examine the proportion of male and female employees who benefited from a pay increase after returning from maternity or paternity leave, parental leave or carers’ leave, where such increases occurred in the relevant employee category during the period in question.

If unjustified differences are identified, the necessary corrective measures must be determined and their effectiveness assessed, taking into account the findings of previous joint pay assessments.

Finally, employees’ ability to seek redress for pay inequalities is being strengthened. In cases of unequal treatment, they will be able to appeal to the Labour Inspectorate and the courts, with support also available from the Greek Ombudsman and trade unions within their respective remits.

In this way, pay transparency goes beyond simply providing information: it is linked to the ability to identify, document and remedy unjustified pay differences.

According to the Ministry of Labour, the objective is to ensure that equal pay for the same work or work of equal value is implemented in practice through transparent procedures, objective criteria and meaningful action to address unjustified pay inequalities.