Bro, you won't believe what I just found out from a guy who plays the HR big shot at one of those big companies – it blew my mind! From June 7, a European directive comes into force that makes salaries transparent. No joke! You're no longer allowed to hide the paycheck like a treasure, bro. Listen up to what's happening.

Now, when you apply for a job, the employer is obliged to tell you the salary or salary range BEFORE the interview. It doesn't have to be in the ad, but before you get to the talk, you gotta know what to expect. And, attention, they can't ask you how much you earned before! That way, old inequalities won't be perpetuated, like some used to do – well bro, when I interviewed at a company, they said "how much did you have at your last job?" and when I said I got 4000, they gave me 4500. Now that doesn't fly, they gotta give it from the start.

If you're already employed, you can ask for info about your salary and what others earn in similar positions. And not just the salary, but also the criteria for promotions and evaluations. Mioara, my wife, got excited right away – she says "now I'll ask the boss why I earn less than my colleague for the same crap!" And rightly so, bro.

It doesn't mean everyone has to have the same salary. If one has 8 years of experience and coordinates the team, and another has 2 years and only does local projects, the difference is justified: one gets 8,500, the other 6,000. But when two have the same duties and experience, and one gets significantly more for no reason, that's a problem. And now you can contest it.

Experts say many companies made their salary grids "by ear" – based on individual negotiations, on a whim, when they needed someone. Now, any difference can be analyzed and contested. If you end up with complaints, audits, discrimination lawsuits, you could be forced to pay damages. And fines – up to 30,000 lei! That's about six average salaries, if you're the boss.

There's also the part about women vs men. Companies with over 250 employees must report salary differences annually from 2027. Those between 150 and 249 – once every three years. And companies with 100-149 – from 2031. Under 100 employees, for now, they report nothing. If the difference is more than 5% and can't be justified, the employer is obliged to do an evaluation and correct it.

And look, today, June 7, is also World Minimum Wage Day. Just to remind us that some live on the minimum wage and barely get by. Also today, Tom Jones turns 86 – the guy who sang "What's New Pussycat?" and I have a BMW from 2008, but he's older than me. And the Indiggo twins, Mihaela and Gabriela Modorcea, turn 43 – those who sang "Soare alb, soare negru" back in the day.

So, bro, from now on, if you have a job and feel like you're being ripped off, you have something to defend yourself with. It's not like in Ceaușescu's time, when you kept quiet and worked. Now you have rights. Too bad I'm still stuck with pretzels, because my BMW still doesn't have enough gas money. Oh well, I'll go tell Mioara to ask for a raise – who knows, maybe we'll get some extra cash.