Czech pay transparency: how to find out what colleagues earn

Employees in Czechia will be able to ask their employer once a year for pay data on colleagues doing work of equal value. The right is set out in an amendment to the Labour Code that the Chamber of Deputies has had on its agenda since last week.

Unjustified pay differences are already banned, but workers usually lack the information to prove unequal treatment. The amendment is meant to fix that and will also change the rules for job interviews.

What data employers will have to disclose

An employee will be able to find out how much they earned themselves last year and what the average pay was for people doing equally demanding work. The figures will be shown separately for men and women: the main aim of the amendment is to narrow the gender pay gap.

Besides base pay, companies will have to report additional benefits: bonuses, meal or housing allowances, pension savings. The exact rules will be set by a decree.

The answer will not come immediately: employers must reply to a written request within two months. The comparison will cover people whose work is of equal value in terms of complexity, responsibility and physical or mental strain, even if their job titles differ. A request can be made only once a year, and if the reply is incomplete or wrong, the employee can ask for it to be supplemented.

An employer may specify in writing that information about other employees’ pay may be used only to seek equal treatment. Employees can still talk about their own pay and benefits without restriction.

Who can make a request and how

The law does not introduce a specific form. A written request is enough, stating your name and position and referring to the law, and making clear that you want information about your own pay and about average earnings and benefits of women and men in your job group. A request can also be filed through a trade union, a works council or the ombudsman.

Only people who worked at the company or office in the previous year, even for part of it, will be able to use the right. Newcomers will have to wait until January. Former employees will not be entitled to the information, but if they submit a request before their employment ends, the employer must answer even after they have left.

No one will learn a specific colleague’s earnings. If, because of a small headcount, the average would reveal someone’s pay, the company will not provide the data but must say so in writing. The employee can then turn to a trade union: the employer passes the data to the union, which evaluates it and tells the employee the result without revealing the colleague’s pay. If there is no union at the company, the employee can set one up together with others — a request through the ombudsman does not get around this exception.

What to do if you see unfairness

Pay below the average does not in itself mean the employer is breaking the law: the difference may be explained by tougher working conditions, higher performance or better results of colleagues. But if people at the same employer do equally complex, responsible and demanding work in similar conditions and with comparable results, they should be paid the same. Even a small difference can be unjustified.

An employee can first ask their manager to explain the difference and put it right, though the manager does not have to agree. If that fails, there is the labour inspectorate: it will check compliance, demand that shortcomings be fixed and may fine the company, but it cannot recover a specific back payment. The employee can claim the money in court and, in cases of obvious discrimination, can by law ask the ombudsman to represent them.

Employers will no longer be allowed to ask candidates about their current or previous pay, or about allowances and benefits received there. Starting pay can no longer be set based on the previous job. Before signing a contract, the company must tell the candidate the minimum pay it offers for the job and what additional payments and benefits apply from the first day.

The amendment still has to be approved by parliament and signed by the president. The part on pay information is due to take effect in 2028, while the changes to interviews should come into force next year.

Read also: Minimum and average salary in Czechia 2026

Source: novinky.cz