Factsheet for measure
FI-2020-12/812
–
Updated
– measures in Finland
Temporary right to suspend or postpone leave requests in critical functions of society
Väliaikainen oikeus keskeyttää tai siirtää loma kriittisissä toiminnoissa työskentelevän työntekijän vuosiloma
Background information
The Emergency Powers Act (Valmiuslaki) (1552/2011) lays down provisions on the power of authorities in emergency conditions.
The Finnish Government, in cooperation with the President of the Republic, has declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
As a result of this, parts of the Emergency Powers Act were activated. The Government issued a decree to allow employers to respond to possible labour shortage caused COVID-19 in critical functions of society. Suspending or postponing employees' annual leave is part of this decree.
Content of measure
Temporary right to suspend annual leaves is a temporary measure. This measure may be applied to all personnel working in health care and social services, rescue services, emergency response centres and police services in Finland.
This measure is not conncected to any specific professions.
If this measure is applied and employee's annual leave is either postponed or suspended, employers are required to pay special attention to employee's health and safety.
No financial support or renumeration is provided.
Temporary right to suspend or postpone annual leaves is a measure seeks to prevent COVID-19 related labour shortages in critical funtions of society.
Updates
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
|
05 July 2020
|
On 15 June 2020, the Government of Finland announced that as of 16 June 2020 the COVID-19 situation in Finland no longer constituted a state of emergency. The Government issued decrees repealing the use of powers under the Emergency Powers Act. The decrees were first set to remain in force until 30 June 2020.
As a result of this, employers no longer can suspend or postpone employees leaves.
|
Use of measure
No information up to this date.
Target groups
Actors and funding
|
Actors
|
Funding
|
National government
|
No special funding required
|
Social partners
Social partners' role in
designing the measure
and form of involvement:
|
Trade unions
|
Employers' organisations
|
|
Role
|
Unknown
|
Unknown
|
|
Form
|
Not applicable
|
Not applicable
|
Social partners' role in the
implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
-
Unknown
-
Main level of involvement: Unknown
Involvement
No information available.
Views and reactions
Tehy and SuPer, two of the trade unions with members in the social and healthcare sector, have criticised the use of this measure by some employers. According to the trade unions, there have been cases where the measures has been used despite there not having been any urgent COVID-19 related labour shortage.
Sectors and occupations
-
This case is sector-specific
-
|
Economic area
|
Sector (NACE level 2)
|
|
O - Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security
|
O84 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security
|
|
Q - Human Health And Social Work Activities
|
Q86 Human health activities
|
|
Q87 Residential care activities
|
|
Q88 Social work activities without accommodation
|
This case is not occupation-specific.
Sources
-
17 March 2020: Employers permitted to temporarily derogate from working hours and annual holidays arrangements in critical functions of society
(valtioneuvosto.fi)
-
15 June 2020: Use of powers under the Emergency Powers Act to end – state of emergency to be lifted on Tuesday 16 June
(valtioneuvosto.fi)
-
02 July 2020: Tehy and Super: The Emergency Preparedness Act has been misinterpreted in hospitals - employee lost a new job due to extended notice period(Tehy ja Super: Valmiuslakia on tulkittu väärin sairaaloissa – työntekijä menetti uuden työpaikan, koska irtisanomisaikaa pidennettiin)
(www.mtvuutiset.fi)
