Do I have the right to ask my employer about my colleagues' salaries?

The answer depends on where you work and whether your employer is subject to the principle of public access.

For some employers in the public sector, salary information is considered a public document. If you work for a state, municipality or region, the principle of public access to official records applies and anyone can request salary information as it is considered a public document.

If you work for a state-owned company, it is a little more difficult. There are some state-owned companies that are covered by the principle of public access to official records (or parts of the company), but in general, most state-owned companies are not covered by the principle of public access to official records and the employer therefore does not need to disclose this information.

If you work in the private sector, the principle of public access to official records does not apply and you are therefore not entitled to request information about your colleagues' salaries.

When requesting a public document, you should not have to identify yourself or state your purpose.

I would recommend that you start by contacting our member advisory service where you can get individual salary coaching and tips and advice for your salary discussion. You can also use our Saco Lönesök tool to access Saco's salary statistics to see what salaries in your profession/sector look like in general. You can also filter the statistics based on educational background. This generally gives a better picture of the salary situation on the market.