Ombudsman for Equality

Parental leave and remuneration

The prohibition of pay discrimination governed by the Finnish Equality Act also applies to situations where a person is treated unfavourably in remuneration on the grounds of pregnancy, childbirth, parenthood or family commitments. Whenever differences in pay are down to these reasons, pay comparisons can also be carried out between employees of the same sex.

Employers are not required by law to award paid parental leave. In many industrial sectors, remuneration during maternity leave is governed by collective agreements. In these cases, remuneration must factor in any pay rises accumulated before and during maternity leave.

Case law states that maternity leave cannot be used as a reason to cut bonuses that are awarded on the basis of annual performance. As regards bonuses, employees on parental leave are entitled to at least a share proportional to their working hours. (Lewen, C-333/97)