Restructuring of the Commission for Equality in Work and Employment (CITE) – Decree-Law No. 78/2026 of 16 March

We're sure you've heard of CITE. What you may not yet know is that Decree-Law No. 78/2026 of 16 March has been published, which, after 12 years, restructures CITE and approves its organisational structure. This change forms part of the current Government’s programme and is in line with the Directives on Pay Transparency and on the Reconciliation of Work and Family Life for Parents and Carers, which establish, amongst other things, the rules applicable to equality bodies regarding equal treatment and equal opportunities between women and men in areas related to employment and professional activity.

On pay transparency, the decree law details CITE’s powers along three pillars:

1. Explicitly provides for the issuance of opinions on the existence of pay discrimination on the grounds of sex, for work of equal value or of equal worth, at the request of an employee or a trade union representative;
    
2. Grants CITE the power to issue recommendations on pay equality plans and to publish them on its website;
    
3. It confers enhanced advisory functions, including the communication of opinions indicating discriminatory practices to the competent inspection services, the possibility of requesting visits to workplaces to verify such indications, and the formulation of legislative recommendations to the Government to promote equality, particularly in pay.

In the area of collective bargaining, the decree law provides that CITE may convene, on the initiative of its president, whenever necessary, to assess the legality of provisions in collective labour regulation instruments or in arbitral decisions relating to equality and non-discrimination between women and men, thereby ensuring swift and specialised analysis of provisions impacting pay equality.

The Decree Law enters into force on 1 April and can be consulted here.