IT Working Holidays

[Aegil]

Hey,
I work in an IT company in Helsinki and I just want to clarify a few things as I've just moved here last month and started beginning of August

1) Is it correct in the first year you don't get holidays you just accrue it at 2 days a month for the next holiday year. Then you accrue it at 2.5 days a month for the year after that?

2) If you take more than one week off do you have to book the saturdays off?

I've had a look and I can't find too much information on the saturday thing, although it doesn't seem to make sense why you have to take the saturday when its not a day you will usually work anyways but I guess I'm just used to the English system.

3) Also is there any other benefits / Agreements regarding IT workers collective agreements that I should be aware of. I've read that IT workers get christmas eve off or something.

Thanks for your help, I'm just trying to get my head around the way Finnish companies work and the rules / regulations and such so that I know what I am entitled to.

[Upphew]

1) Is it correct in the first year you don't get holidays you just accrue it at 2 days a month for the next holiday year. Then you accrue it at 2.5 days a month for the year after that?

Correct.

2) If you take more than one week off do you have to book the saturdays off?

I've had a look and I can't find too much information on the saturday thing, although it doesn't seem to make sense why you have to take the saturday when its not a day you will usually work anyways but I guess I'm just used to the English system.

Correct. It is leftover from the times when workweek was 6 days.

3) Also is there any other benefits / Agreements regarding IT workers collective agreements that I should be aware of. I've read that IT workers get christmas eve off or something.

Depends under what collective agreement you work. For example http://www.erto.fi/component/remository ... oad&id=130 and http://www.tikli.fi/ICTala.php

[Aegil]

I just found out finns get paid holiday bonuses from those links. Thats a good system. Thanks for the links they are are very informative.

[Pursuivant]

Other thing different from UK - pension is automatic, but dole you have to contribute yourself. You can join an union, or a fund => http://www.ytk.fi (they have the stuff explaining "the system" in English). In any case, you don't contribute, you get laid off in a year, the "government dole" wont be a pack of cigarrettes a day. So join the ytk just because I told you so and then make elaborate plans, as your 10 months starts running from the day you join. (of course you can get a PPI, but those are mostly ripoff scams)

[CatNip]

Here is info about Finnish trade unions, all together 77 (2002 data), http://www.akava.fi/files/236/Guide_for_foreigners.pdf (starting from page 11).

Different unions have different benefits amd membership payments.
Normally Finnish people join the union on the branch that they are working (e.g. the collective agreement that is complied at their workplace) or the union prepresenting their occupation.
Third option the private union YTK.

[CH]

For official days off, check Lakisääteiset juhlapäivät here.

So join the ytk just because I told you so and then make elaborate plans, as your 10 months starts running from the day you join.

I agree with this, so very very much!!! If you don't already belong to one, join YTK or whatever unemployment fund you want, but join some fund now!!! Not tomorrow, not when you can afford it (well, for YTK it's only 99e a year!)... join now! If you want to join a union, but cannot afford that at the moment, you can join in only the union unemployment fund (although they don't make too much noise about that possibility, as they want you as a member, too). The IT sector is way too volatile atm to not belong to an unemployment fund, seriously!!!!

The IT sector in general doesn't have that much benefits in the colletive agreement beyond the normal stuff that is in the työsopimuslaki (and other similar laws like vuosilomalaki). But check Erto! What we lack in collective agreements are quite often compensated by nice in-house benefits, so ask your employer or HR what employee benefits they have (most have meal tickets, quite a lot have sport tickets, a sum you can use for dental care or even glasses, some have even have an agreement with a private health clinic for employer payed health care).

With the 6th day as a Saturday rule do note that it doesn't have to be one whole week off in consecutive days for the 6th to be the Saturday. Just count every 6th day as a Saturday... so, if you have 24 days of holiday, in reality you have 20.

[Upphew]

some have even have an agreement with a private health clinic for employer payed health care

All have agreement with private or public health clinic or they are braking the law (Occupational Health Care Act, to be exact... looks like a name of a movie when capitalized that way..).

[mdn]

But check Erto! What we lack in collective agreements

There is a proper link but incorrect name. Tietoala left ERTO and belongs to UIL already.
And as I understand - seems there is already no any acting TES right now.

[CH]

some have even have an agreement with a private health clinic for employer payed health care

All have agreement with private or public health clinic or they are braking the law (Occupational Health Care Act, to be exact... looks like a name of a movie when capitalized that way..).

Um... as far as I know, the mandatory employer payed health care (which can be an agreement with the local terveyskeskus occupational health doctor and nurses) only concerns measures to prevent and care for job related illnesses, which for instance in the IT sector can be that you get somebody come check the ergonomy of the desk, chair, an posture at work (and it's a good thing, too!). If you get the sniffles, your employer doesn't have to provide the care for it, even if the employer may mandate for you to bring a paper from the doctor that you were indeed ill and therefore not at work.

The agreement with a private health clinic I was talking about was health care, not occupational health care. Many indeed provide this as a benefit, but it is not mandatory.

[Upphew]

The agreement with a private health clinic I was talking about was health care, not occupational health care. Many indeed provide this as a benefit, but it is not mandatory.

But where is the line between occupational and not occupational healthcare? Last summer I managed to cut my hand when trying to save someones bike from falling. As I was going anyways near hospital, I went there to show the cut. They cleaned the wound in the emergency, decided that it didn't need stitches and told to go and get tetanus shot next monday at workplace's private clinic.

[Aegil]

Hey,
thats all great advice, however I have something on my payslip. Työntekijän työttömyysvakuutus, is that the unemployment insurance you are talking about or is that something different? So far it seems I have tax, pension and that coming out of my wage thus far. If thats not the unemployment fund, I'll apply for one this week. Does the unemployment scheme give you a full wage when you lose your job or just give you something the same as kela benefits or something?

[Upphew]

Does the unemployment scheme give you a full wage when you lose your job or just give you something the same as kela benefits or something?

http://www.tyj.fi/default.asp?id=484

[CH]

Työntekijän työttömyysvakuutus, is that the unemployment insurance you are talking about or is that something different?

That is for the "OMG, I'm supposed to live on this???" mandatory unemployment fund. You can "upgrade" it by joining a voluntary unemployment fund (like YTK), where the daily allowance is based on your earnings the previous year. It will not be full wages (um... about half the wages... I don't remember... check the link that was provided above), but trust me... way, way better than the default one you would otherwise get.