The Finnish labor legislation – an introduction part 4
The Working Hours Act regulates that the maximum
number of working hours per day is 8 and per
week 40.
Working overtime on the employer’s initiative
entitles the employee to overtime compensation,
which means that the employee’s salary rises
by 50% for the first 2 hours and by 100% for
the following hours. The employer is obligated
to document the employees’ working hours, including
the overtime hours.
The Annual Holidays Act consists of regulations
concerning the employees’ right to a
holiday. An employee accumulates 2.5 days of
holiday for each full working month (or 2 days a
month, if the employment has lasted less than 1
year). An employee must work at least 14 days a
month (or at least 35 hours a month) to be entitled
to holiday.
The employee is entitled to his/her normal
salary during his holiday. According to the collective
agreement, the employee is also entitled
to get an extra annual holiday pay (lomaraha in
Finnish) which is 50% of the normal month's
salary.
The employer and employee negotiate the
date of the holiday, but the employer has the final
right to decide the date, if necessary.
If the employees have not spent all of their
holiday when the employment contract ends,
they are entitled to get the remaining part of
holiday paid out in money.
However, the Working Hours Act or the
Annual Holiday Act do not apply to employees
who are working at the university under
the 1600 hour rule. According to the collective
agreement for the universities, the employees
working in the 1600 hour -system, have the
right to choose their working hours and days.
The employee may not oversee
the daily or weekly spent
working hours or set rules to
for example how many days
a week the employee must be
present at the university. Naturally.
the employees must attend meetings
and hold their classes etc., but their freedom
may not be limited unnecessarily.
The employee must also personally see to it
that he takes the equivalent holiday/time off.
The annual holiday bonus is also paid to
those under the 1600 hours rule.
Occupational Safety and Health Act regulates
both the physical and the psychological safety
in the workplace. The employer must ensure
that the employees stay healthy in the working
environment. The employer must provide the
employees for example with adequate instructions
on working with hazardous materials
and provide protective equipment. The employer
must also make sure there is no bullying
or other inappropriate behavior such as sexual
harassment in the workplace. If the employer
finds, or is informed of, any problems in either
the physical or the psychological aspects in the
working environment, the employer must immediately
act to rectify the situation.
For more details, please visit:
text Mia Weckman
lawyer, the Finnish Union of
University Researchers and Teachers
- Painetussa lehdessä sivu 38
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