Struggling with employer - finnish work laws?

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RobertNass
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2019 1:34 pm

Struggling with employer - finnish work laws?

Post by RobertNass » Fri Jul 05, 2019 1:53 pm

Hello everyone
I am working two years in Finland in one company - Ravintola Factory. I've been doing dishwashing but from January 2019 I'm waiter and salad maker and also a seller. I like people in my job and job is not so hard physiccaly so I am always gratefull that I found it and I can live in Finland.
But from January because i wanted to work with customer to improve my Finnish language my work hours changed, But i still have the same contract, nothing changed and that's weird for me. So basically I have the same money per hour but less hours so even that I have greater responsibilities now I receive less salary and it's making me angry. I tried few times to ask for more hours and boss said okay but nothing changed.
So on the paper I have 37,5 hours per week(this is also weird - in Poland if You have full time job like they told i will, you always have at list 40 hours...?) and it gives me 150 hours monthly. But i never have that amount of hours. Can I do anything about that outside of my company? I am sick of begging for hours and they don't care about that and I really need full time job. Nowadays they even hired summer workers and i have again lees hours. Can you tell me if joining an finnish union will help me with that? Or I can report that somewhere else? Is there anyone else struggling with the same or similar thing? Does someone work maybe in the same place - it is a large company?
I am looking for a new job but this is almost impossible task without good finnish and mine its just basic(i started evening language course in January - now I have summer break in that school).



Struggling with employer - finnish work laws?

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heretostay
Posts: 637
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 12:54 pm

Re: Struggling with employer - finnish work laws?

Post by heretostay » Fri Jul 05, 2019 2:44 pm

This sounds like the employer is breaking union rules. Contact https://www.pam.fi/

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rinso
Posts: 3949
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:22 pm

Re: Struggling with employer - finnish work laws?

Post by rinso » Fri Jul 05, 2019 6:21 pm

Be happy that you have a job with customer contact with only basic Finnish. Most people with limited Finnish skills struggle to find a job.

37,5 hours per week is a normal Finnish working week. It is no longer 40 hours. In some situations, it is even less.
But your contract is guiding. What does your contract say? Fixed amount of hours with fixed monthly salary or a flexible amount of hours for a fixed hourly wage? As long as the contract does not mention a minimum amount of hours, your boss has much freedom in dividing the work.

As for the greater responsibility, you have to prove you can handle it. Your boss might first want to see if your limited Finnish skills are no handicap for the function. But talking to a union rep might be a good idea. They have a better idea about pay scales for different functions.

RobertNass
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2019 1:34 pm

Re: Struggling with employer - finnish work laws?

Post by RobertNass » Fri Jul 05, 2019 7:01 pm

So I can describe the problem to the union, via email?

Off course I am happy and I know i have much to learn still and I am learning all the time.
I will check it but I am not sure if I understand contract correctly. In the beginning in dishwashing it was every week the same working hours so now is completely different but they didn'd change my contract...I don't know why is like that but maybe this is like you say,the hours are not fixed. But there is written 37,5 hours per week...I am little bit confused and I don't want to start war before i fully understand the situation in my job, and about finnish union agreements.
Weel I know it is hard to work with customer with basic finnish but the company always does it if someone is willing to learn, thats great and I know it. And I wanted to learn through real using language - I think that's the only way.
But the hours situation is frustrating me for months and I don't like beeing unheard like that.

heretostay
Posts: 637
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 12:54 pm

Re: Struggling with employer - finnish work laws?

Post by heretostay » Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:09 pm

You can ask advice from union rep or lawyer without notifying your employer. After that then you can decide how you want to proceed.


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