Updated 12 Oct 2026, 5-minute read

What do your colleagues earn? Pay transparency in Czechia today, from 2027 and from 2028

Pay is still a taboo topic in Czechia. The law, however, is gradually changing in employees’ favour. Some rules already apply, more will come with the amendment to the Labour Code on pay transparency.

Already in forceYou may talk about your pay

Your employer cannot stop you from telling anyone how much you earn and what for. This is set out in Section 346a of the Labour Code (zákoník práce). A ban in your contract or in an internal policy would be against the law. So you can tell a colleague what you earn and ask them the same. They do not have to answer, though.

The principle of equal pay for the same work or work of equal value also applies (Section 110 of the Labour Code). The value of work is assessed by its complexity, responsibility and effort, working conditions, and performance and results. A difference between you and a colleague in the same position must therefore have a reason that can be explained.

From 1 Jan 2027You will learn the salary before you negotiate

According to the draft amendment, 2027 brings changes mainly to hiring and to how companies set up pay:

• Job applicants will learn the minimum salary and other financial benefits before contract negotiations start. You will no longer negotiate blind.
• The company may not ask what you earned elsewhere. Your current salary will stop being the anchor for a new offer.
• Every employer will need a pay system: how pay is set, what the salary consists of and how jobs are grouped by complexity, responsibility and effort.

From 1 Jan 2028You will be able to ask for the average pay in comparable positions

The right that gets the most attention is only planned to apply from 2028:

• On written request, your employer will tell you your pay and the average pay in the group of jobs you belong to, broken down for women and men.
• They must reply within two months at the latest.
• Once a year they must inform you about this right themselves.
• If the answer would reveal a specific colleague’s pay (for example in a group of one or two people), the information will not go to you but to a body such as the labour inspectorate or the ombudsman.
• Companies with 150 or more employees will also report gender pay differences.

How to use it today

You do not have to wait until 2028. For a salary conversation you need three things, and all of them are available today:

• A market comparison. Median salaries by profession are published for free by the Czech Statistical Office, and you can compare your salary in English here.
• A comparison within the company. Thanks to Section 346a you may ask your colleagues. One or two people in a similar position who answer are enough.
• Arguments for why you deserve more. Specifically what you delivered, saved or who you trained over the last year. Not “I try hard”, but results.

Template request for 2028

Once the right to information applies, a short written request will do, for example an e-mail to HR. Requests to Czech employers are normally made in Czech, so here is the Czech text with a translation:

Translation: “Hello, under Section 306b of the Labour Code I request written information on my pay and on the average pay in the group of jobs I belong to, broken down by sex. Thank you and kind regards, [name, position, department].” The section number follows the draft amendment and may change in the final version. Check it before sending.