This whole notion that the only way for someone who thinks they aren't paid enough to get a raise is to know everyone else's salary and then use that as leverage is absurd. If you feel like you aren't paid enough ask for a raise and explain why you feel that way. If you're turned down look for a different job that values you at a level you're comfortable with. If you still can't make the amount you desire maybe then it is time to check your own assumptions and see what you can do to provide more value so that you can get it in return.
People are trading their time based on certain assumptions, including the viability of the company; seeing the company's books is a vital way to do that.
"Trust me" is a shitty position for companies to put workers in, and yet we see again and again how they go under and leave people (individuals, families, etc) in the lurch.
Secrecy never benefits the person in the weaker position.
Now, developer 1 has a rage-boner because developer 2 is being paid more but there's the reason of his/her desirable skills being utilised in the role. Yet, developer 1 doesn't see this qualifiable reason and just sees this as being unfair/unequal.
Pay transparency would only exacerbate the current problems around pay, not help alleviate them.
Citations?
Plenty of situations? Where? Documented somewhere, I should hope, yeah?
Is that better dev from a subjective or an objective perspective?
The reason that I ask is because one dev can think that they're better than another and believe that they should be paid more but that could very well be the fault of fevered ego and not, necessarily, a reflection of reality, yeah?
Also, salary transparency wouldn't actually address anything. It would be a tool to address the salary issue with management and management (plus, HR) would address it, yeah?
Okay. Let's make a thought experiment.
Company A. Senior Java Developer. $100K.
Company B. Senior Java Developer. $120K.