1) CJEU: collective long-distance transfers are to be counted for the purposes of triggering the collective redundancy procedure

By judgment of 4 June 2026 (Case C-907/24), the Court of Justice of the European Union held that the termination of the employment relationship resulting from an employee’s refusal to accept a permanent transfer to a geographically very distant workplace constitutes a dismissal within the meaning of EU legislation.

The European judges, proceeding from the premise that the place of work constitutes an essential element of the individual employment contract, clarified that its unilateral modification for organisational business reasons, not connected to the person of the worker, must be treated as dismissal where it may be characterised as “substantial” (having regard to the distance between the original workplace and the location of the new assignment, as well as to any other accompanying measures aimed at compensating the proposed assignment) and results in the termination of the employment relationship.

As a consequence, such indirect terminations must be counted — pursuant to Article 1, paragraph 1, first subparagraph, letter a), of Directive (EC) 98/59 — in the overall numerical calculation necessary to trigger the special information and consultation procedure with trade unions provided for by such Directive in the field of collective redundancies.

To access the decision, click here.

2) Legislative Decree No. 96/2026 on pay transparency and gender pay equality published in the Official Gazette

On 1 June 2026, Legislative Decree No. 96 of 7 May 2026, implementing Directive (EU) 2023/970, aimed at strengthening the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and related enforcement mechanisms, was published in the Official Gazette.

The decree imposes stringent disclosure obligations. In the pre-hiring phase, employers must indicate – in job advertisements or prior to the interview – the initial salary range, with a prohibition on requesting information on previous remuneration. During the employment relationship, an obligation arises to make accessible the criteria for professional and economic progression, guaranteeing employees the right to know the average pay level of those performing “equal work” or “work of equal value”.

Specific reporting obligations are also provided for. Employers with at least 100 employees will be required to periodically disclose data on the gender pay gap; where that gap exceeds the 5% threshold without objective and neutral justifications, an obligation will arise to carry out a joint pay assessment in cooperation with trade union representatives.

The decree entered into force on 7 June 2026.