The Finnish labor market is known for its high level of organization. The Finnish employment legislation aims to protect all employees. Below are some useful employment rules and regulations in Finland.
Trade Unions
While there is no trade union recognition in Finland, if an employer belongs to an employer-federation, he is obligated to apply the collective agreements that were discussed by the federation. However, if an employer is not part of any employer-federation, he must apply a generally applicable collective agreement for his employees.
Trade unions help negotiate collective agreements directly with the employer or with the employer-federation. Unionized employees can elect a representative to represent them collectively in any employment-related problems at the workplace.
Discrimination
The discrimination laws in Finland protect employees against both direct and indirect discrimination. This includes discrimination based on gender, age, origin, nationality, language, religion, belief, opinion, political activity, trade union activity, family relationships, health, disability, sexual orientation, or any other aspect that directly attacks the employee’s personality.
Discrimination in terms of harassment and sexual harassment is strictly prohibited during employment and recruitment. If an employer fails to intervene and sort of discrimination policies and complaints in the workplace, he will be held accountable by the law. The minimum financial compensation that an employee can receive in case of discrimination is EUR 3,620.
Maternity Leave
In Finland, women are eligible for a maternity leave of 105 weekdays, including Saturdays. If multiple children are born at the same time, maternity leave is extended by 60 weekdays for each child who is born at the same time. Mothers also receive a maternity allowance from the Finish Social Insurance Institution. While employers are not bound by law to pay wages during the period of maternity leave, collective agreements at employer-federations make it compulsory for them to pay full salary during the first three months of maternity leave.
Paternity Leave
In Finland, parental leave applies to fathers as well as mothers. Fathers are eligible to take a paternal leave of up to 54 working days, including Saturdays. While the mother is on maternity leave, men are allowed to take a maximum of 18 days off from work. While employers are not bound by law to pay wages during the period of maternity leave, collective agreements at employer-federations make it compulsory for them to pay full salary during the first six days of paternity leave.
Parental Leave
Alongside maternity and paternity leaves, employees are eligible to take parental leaves too. The maximum length of parental leave is 158 weekdays, including Saturdays. Parental leaves can be shared between the mother and the father of the child. Employees can avail parental leave until the child reaches the age of three. If the child is adopted, parents can take a leave of up to two years from the adoption date of the child. However, in this case, only one parent can take the paternal leave at a time, and the responsibility must be shared between the two of them. Employees have the right to take partial childcare leave until the child finishes his/her second year of basic education.
To learn more about employment requirements in Finland, click here
