Ombudsman for Equality

Requesting information on pay from the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality

Who can request information on pay?
When can requests for information on pay be made?
Information to be included in requests
Referring cases to the Finnish Equality Board

Employee representatives can, at the request of an employee, ask the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality to disclose information on the pay and terms of employment of individual employees in suspected cases of pay discrimination. Information is only disclosed if there are justified grounds for the suspicion.

The Finnish Ombudsman for Equality must supply the information to the representative without delay and within two months of receiving the request at the most. In the event that the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality refuses to disclose the requested information, the employee representative can refer the case to the Finnish Equality Board.

The procedure is designed for gaining access to information on pay. It should not be confused with the normal procedure of requesting opinions or advice on suspected cases of discrimination from the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality, where information is more readily available.

The objective of the procedure is for the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality to assess whether the suspicion of pay discrimination is justified in order to decide whether the case should be dismissed or further action taken at the workplace in question.

The procedure also allows suspected cases of pay discrimination in the private sector to be investigated and resolved at the workplace.

Who can request information on pay?

The right to request information on pay and terms of employment is limited to local union representatives elected on the basis of collective agreements, elected representatives and other employee representatives appointed in accordance with what has been agreed at the workplace in question.

Employee representatives can only request information if instructed to do so by an employee on the basis of his or her suspicions.

Before approaching the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality, the employee representative must establish the grounds on which he or she is representing the employee in question, and obtain a power of attorney to enclose with the request.

When can requests for information on pay be made?

The provision only applies in situations where

• an employee reports a suspected case of pay discrimination and
• the employee against whose pay the claimant wants his or her pay to be compared has not consented to the information being disclosed, and
• the information cannot be obtained on the basis of a collective agreement.

Information on the pay of public sector employees is freely available to everyone. In other words, the provision only has a practical use from the perspective of private sector employees.

Information to be included in requests

Requests made to the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality regarding information on pay and terms of employment under Section 17(4) of the Finnish Equality Act must include at least the information outlined in the enclosed form.
Information request form

Referring cases to the Finnish Equality Board

In the event that the Finnish Ombudsman for Equality refuses to disclose the requested information, the employee representative can refer the case to the Finnish Equality Board.

Address of the Finnish Equality Board:
Finnish Equality Board/Equality Unit
PO Box 33
FI-00023 Government
Portlet kohtainen sisältöeditori
Other online resources
Finnish Equality Board