Helsinki Pride imposes six-month salary fine for leaking confidential data

Helsinki Pride is introducing employment contracts that include a penalty clause requiring workers to pay the equivalent of six months’ salary if they disclose confidential information to outsiders, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The fine would amount to over 20,000 euros for an employee earning the sector’s average monthly wage of around 3,500 euros. The confidentiality obligation applies indefinitely for those who sign the agreement.

Board chair Matti Numminen told Yle that confidential information includes details unknown outside the organisation or obtained through work from the organisation, clients, or partners. He said the penalty would not apply to personal experiences shared with friends or media, but would cover disclosures about client relationships or other internal matters.

Numminen cited a Supreme Court ruling where a six-month salary penalty was deemed reasonable in a case involving a real estate agent who took clients to a competing firm. He said the clause aligns with Finnish law and would only be enforced after careful assessment of a breach.

Last year, seven former employees told Yle about a toxic work environment and authoritarian management at the organisation, which arranges the annual Helsinki Pride parade attended by tens of thousands.

Enni Ala-Mikkula, a senior lecturer in business law at Tampere University specialising in labour and contract law, confirmed the legality of the penalty but questioned its proportionality for the non-profit sector.