Aim of the Pay Transparency Directive (PTD)
The PTD aims to strengthen the principle of equal pay for equal work in practice. It imposes increased pay transparency duties for employers in EU member states both at the recruitment stage and throughout the employment relationship and provides for stronger enforcement mechanisms. Crucially, the PTD sets a floor, not a ceiling—member states may, and in some cases already do, impose more stringent obligations.
Member states were required to implement the PTD by June 7, 2026. Not all have done so, and until they do, their current requirements remain in force.
The U.K.'s position
The U.K. will not follow the PTD, although Northern Ireland may do so in the future. The U.K.'s current rules focus more on pay gap reporting. From 2027 the reporting rules will include an obligation for employers to provide action plans on gender pay inequalities, and the U.K. government has expressed an intention to extend U.K. pay gap measures to the
