The Finnish labor legislation – an introduction
I am going to write a series of short articles as an
introduction to the Finnish legal system and legislation
governing different areas of employment. I will
try to do this by introducing some of the principles
of the Finnish labor law system and by also introducing
the most essential legislation that governs employment
in Finland. I will also discuss matters such as
the differences between the collective agreement and
an employment contract.
In this first part I will discuss this main employment
legislation very generally, but in the following
articles I will get into them in a bit more detail when
I write about different aspects of employment related
issues. Later I will also go through the relevant legislation
for those who are working on a grant or scholar.
Employment Contracts Act is the most important
law governing all employees’ employment excluding
civil servants and self-employed workers. The Employment
Contracts Act regulates work done under
employment and consists of for example the obligations
and responsibilities of both the employer and
the employee during an employment contract.
Working Hours Act regulates not only the weekly
or daily allowed maximum working hours, but also
great many other things such as maximum overtime
hours, compensation for overtime and the obligation
to document the employees’ working hours.
Annual Holidays Act regulates for example the
accumulation of the annual holidays and how the
annual holiday pay is calculated. However, if you are
working at the university under the 1600 hour rule,
then the Annual Holiday Act is not enforced.
Occupational Safety and Health Act is a very
significant law that has regulations about not only
the physical but also the psychological safety in the
workplace.
Health Insurance Act is the law in which for
example maternity and paternity pays and long term
sick-leaves are regulated.
In the Unemployment Act there are regulations
about unemployment compensation and who is entitled
to get the benefits and under what circumstances.
Non-discrimination Act and Act on the Protection
of Privacy in Working Life are also worth mentioning
here.
Mia Weckman
Lawyer, The Finnish Union of University Researchers and
Teachers
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