Work contract
The employer and employee agree upon terms of employment in a work contract.
It is recommended that the contract be in written form and that it contain at
least the following: the name of the employer /enterprise, the name of the employee,
the nature of the work, the starting date of the employment, the duration of
the employment, the notice period, the trial period, pay, and working hours.
It is also recommended that an oral agreement be made in the presence of two
witnesses. If the employment relationship is valid indefinitely or is intended
to last a term over one month, the employer must give written information on
the orally agreed principal terms of work, at the latest by the end of the first
pay period. Any agreement which diminishes the rights and interests secured
for employees in the labor legislation and/or the collective agreement is void.
Working hours
Regular working hours are usually 8 daily hours and 40 weekly hours. In a
two week period the working hours are not more than 80 hours and in a three
week period 120 hours. The working hours may be arranged by law or collective
agreements alternatively. Each workplace must have a work schedule from which
the workers' regular working hours, beginning and ending times and the
placement of the rest periods can be read. To avoid possible misunderstandings
employees should keep their own record of their hours and received wages.
Wages
There is no universal minimum wage in Finland . The collective agreement in
most employment branches determines the pay and other minimum employment terms.
It is also possible to agree on benefits such as food and residence in addition
to the wage. The wages in the collective agreements are determined according
to the employee's professional skills, experience and the geographical
situation of the workplace (I and II cost regions).
Pay during illness
After working for the same employer for a month, employees are entitled to
sick-leave pay to cover absences due to illness or injury. The working inability
must be determined in a way satisfactory to the employer (for ex. a doctor's
certificate). In the case of an employment that has lasted less than a month,
sick leave will be compensated with 50% of the normal wages. The law entitles
employees to nine sick-leave days per year, but the actual agreement is usually
for more sick leave pay.
Increased pay
Working hours exceeding the regular working hours (see Working hours) are
overtime hours. Overtime is compensated with additional, higher pay: for the
first two daily hours of overtime normal pay is increased by 50% and for the
following hours by 100 %. Weekly over-time hours are increased by 50 %. The
12 first overtime hours of a two-week period and the 18 first hours of a three-week
period are increased by 50 % and the following hours with double pay. Separate
evening and night work compensations are paid according to collective agreements.
Sunday work is paid double wages.
Accident insurance
A foreign employee working for a Finnish employer in Finland is to be insured
by the employer with a mandatory accident insurance scheme. The insurance covers
both accidents at work and on the journey to work. The employer must have an
agreement of occupational health services with an occupational health service
provider.
If a foreign employer has sent an employee temporarily to work in Finland
, the employee may be covered by the sending country's insurance. Usually,
unless the country in question is an EU/EEA or other country with a social security
agreement, a posted worker's certificate must be acquired from the sending
country. In questions concerning accident compensation an employee can turn
to the Federation of Accident Insurance Institutions (FAII).
Holidays
An employee has a right to receive pay also for the time he/she is on annual
holiday. Normally holiday leave accumulates 2 days (when employment has lasted
less than 1 year) or 2½ days for each holiday credit month. Normal wages
are paid for the time an employee is on holiday. Earned holiday leave cannot
be replaced with compensation pay unless the holiday cannot be given due to
the ending of employment.
Holiday compensation must also be paid for workers who do not work enough
hours to entitle them to paid holidays (working hours are under 35 h/month or
working days under 14 days/month). Holiday compensation is 9-11%; 5%, in the
construction branch; 18.5 %, of the accumulated wages during the holiday credit
year, excluding raised pay for overtime or emergency work. Holiday compensation
must be paid when employment ends or, if so agreed, in addition to monthly wage.
In many instances employees receive additional holiday money, usually a half
of holiday wages.
Public and National Holidays
There are a dozen official holidays in Finland, 10 church holidays and two other national holidays, May Day on May 1st, also known as Vappu, and Independence Day on December 6th.
Holiday
in Finnish |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
New Year's Day
Uudenvuoden päivä |
Jan 1 |
Jan 1 |
Jan 1 |
Epiphany
Loppiainen |
Jan 6 |
Jan 6 |
Jan 6 |
Good Friday
Pitkäperjantai |
Mar 21 |
Apr 10 |
Apr 2 |
Easter
Pääsiäinen |
Mar 23-24 |
Apr 12-13 |
Apr 4-5 |
May Day
Vapunpäivä |
May 1 |
May 1 |
May 1 |
Ascension Day
Helatorstai |
May 1 |
May 21 |
May 13 |
Whitsun
Helluntai |
May 11 |
May 31 |
May 23 |
Midsummer Day
Juhannus |
Jun 21 |
Jun 20 |
Jun 26 |
All Saints Day
Pyhäinpäivä |
Nov 1 |
Oct 31 |
Nov 6 |
Independence Day
Itsenäisyyspäivä |
Dec 6 |
Dec 6 |
Dec 6 |
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Jouluaatto & Joulupäivä |
Dec 24-25 |
Dec 24-25 |
Dec 24-25 |
Boxing Day
Tapaninpäivä |
Dec 26 |
Dec 26 |
Dec 26 |
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