Do you think it’s a good idea if your colleagues know how much you earn?
There’s conflicting ideas about that concept in two new surveys.
The results of a poll commissioned by the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK show that more than two thirds of Finns don’t want their wages to be seen by the colleagues without their consent.
Workers believe their rights would be infringed if their employer divulged their salary, and any moves towards compulsory transparency would be a breach of current regulations.
“The results are loud and clear for politicians and officials: citizens do not want their colleagues to know their wages” says Katja Leppänen, a Legal Adviser at EK.
The survey was carried out as the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is considering whether wage transparency could close the gender pay gap in Finland, and reduce wage discrimination.
The Confederation of Trade Unions SAK wants to make wage transparency compulsory in the course of the next parliament, and their new survey finds that 67% of labour representatives support the idea of more workplace wage transparency.
“Closing the gender pay gap has progressed too slowly in Finland. Wage transparency would contribute to this goal and would otherwise enhance the salary methods in general” says Anne Mironen, Adviser for Health, Safety and Equality at Work Law and Work Environment at SAK.