Pay transparency obligations draw nearer as the Government prepares draft legislation – is your organisation ready?

Pay transparency – it pays to be prepared

Following our sold-out pay transparency seminar in May titled “Pay transparency – it pays to be prepared”, Ibec will be running the seminar again on Thursday, 6 November 2025 in Cork and on Thursday, 13 November 2025 in Clontarf Castle Hotel, where we will examine the impact of the Pay Transparency Directive, your impending obligations and how you can start getting your house in order.

As published in the Government’s Legislation Programme for Autumn 2025, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is preparing Heads of Bill to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive as the transposition date of 7 June 2026 draws closer.

The Pay Transparency Directive, which will impact every business, introduces onerous new requirements on employers to be transparent as regards pay, pay structures and pay progression and places greater gender pay reporting obligations on employers including the requirement to report on categories of workers, namely those performing the same work or work of equal value. Therefore, employers will be required to categorise their employees based on who is doing the same work or work of equal value and be able to justify any differences in pay on objective, gender neutral criteria.

The Directive places greater gender pay gap reporting obligations on employers including the requirement to report on categories of workers, namely those performing the same work or work of equal value. Employers should note that it gives employees the right to request pay information on the average pay levels, broken down by gender, for categories of workers performing the same work or work of equal value, which must be furnished to the employee within 2 months of the request.

The Directive also introduces significant new information and consultation rights for workers’ representatives and new restrictions on certain HR pre-employment practices and new measures on confidentiality and pay secrecy. At our seminar, we will examine these new requirements in detail and also discuss the potential industrial relations implications for your organisation arising from these significant new pay transparency obligations.

As the Directive will bring not only onerous transparency obligations as regards pay and pay progression for employers but significant amendments to our equal pay legislation, we would expect to see a revival of equal pay claims in Ireland.

Is your organisation prepared? Our team of experts will prepare you for getting compliant.

During our full day seminar, our experts will delve into the detail examining a number of areas including:

• Gender pay gap reporting and equal pay – what’s new?
• Job evaluations – how to categorise your employees – it’s time to get prepared
• Assessing work of equal value in your organisation
• Significant new employee rights to pay data
• Building pay bands and pay progression criteria – common pitfalls and future trends
• Examining significant new information and consultation requirements for workers’ representatives
• Pay transparency and industrial relations considerations
• Grievances, trade disputes and industrial action – dealing with the fallout
• Defending unequal pay – what are your gender-neutral justifications?
• In-depth examination of equal pay case law
• Case studies – lessons learned, and solutions shared

Our full day seminar will be of considerable interest and relevance to employment law practitioners, employers, HR managers, remuneration and reward managers and those who advise them.

For further details and to book your place contact Sarah O’Leary at sarah.oleary@ibec.ie or visit Pay Transparency Cork or Pay Transparency Dublin