KategoriatUutiset Kirjoitettu

Questions and answers on the overtime ban

1. What is it about?

The question is whether you will accept that either you or anyone else can be laid off more easily.

The Sipilä government is preparing a dismissal bill, which weakens the protection against dismissal in companies with less than 20 employees. The legislative reform places workers and small workplaces in an unequal position. Nor is there any guarantee that the weakening of the protection against dismissal would stop in workplaces with less than 20 people.

The current law concerning individual dismissal is not especially strict in Finland by international standards. The proposal will not have a positive effect on employment, either.

Dismissal based on personal reasons is wrong. Layoffs don’t bring more jobs.

We will not accept a weakening of the protection against dismissal for anyone. We demand the government to drop the bill immediately, as it would only cause arbitrary layoffs in workplaces.

2. How has the government weakened the position of the employee?

The government has repeatedly failed to keep its promise not to interfere with working life rules. Unemployment security has been cut, working hours extended, holiday bonus cut, probationary period extended, temporary employment of the long-term unemployed facilitated, and the so-called activity model introduced. Read more here.

Politicians of government parties have also threatened to restrict contractual rights and to reverse the universal validity of collective bargaining.

3. Why are we acting now?

The dismissal bill proposed by the government would give the employer the right to lay off people arbitrarily, based on personal reasons.

If we don’t act now, the government’s measures will keep getting worse for employees. We want to stop the weakening of the worker’s position and working conditions.

Influencing political decision-making even between elections is part of democracy. We are acting now because the processing of the dismissal bill in ongoing. The government may still withdraw its proposal.

4. Why the overtime ban?

The Industrial Union has declared an overtime ban. The overtime ban is a legal union measure to protect employees from being dismissed.

Refusal to work overtime is a protest against the policy of the government that deteriorates working life rules.. We want the government to pull back the bill which weakens the protection against unjustified dismissal of workplaces with less than 20 employees.

5. When will the overtime ban start and end?

The overtime ban starts on 17 September 2018 at 00.00 and will be valid for the time being.

Its termination will be communicated separately to shop stewards and members by email and SMS.

Please make sure your membership data is up to date. You can check you data via the Industrial Union’s eService.  The service can be accessed with personal online bank credentials.

6. What does an overtime ban mean?

An overtime ban means that you work within regular working hours only.

The regular daily and weekly working time in accordance with the working hour system must not be exceeded.

Working time banks or other similar systems must not be supplemented, nor must any kind of extra work be done.

7. Who does the overtime ban apply to?

The overtime ban APPLIES to employees working in the following agreement sectors of the Industrial Union:

  • Car sector trade and repair operations
  • Car wheel sector
  • Fiskars Finland Oy Ab employees
  • Brushmaking sector
  • Precious metals
  • Basic chemicals
  • Footwear and leather industry
  • Rubber industry
  • Glass and ceramics industry
  • Glazing, construction glazing and glass processing industry
  • Allied rural industries
  • Ore mines
  • Mechanical forestry industry and repair workshops in the forestry industry
  • Forestry sector
  • Forestry machinery
  • Bio-industry
  • Plastics and chemical products
  • Sheet and industrial insulation industry
  • Defence Ministry workplaces
  • Carpentry sector
  • Gardening industry
  • Plant nursery sector
  • Technical service and maintenance
  • Technology industry
  • Textiles maintenance sector
  • Textile and fashion industry
  • Fur production industry
  • Peat industry
  • Boat construction industry
  • Landscaping sector
  • Oil, gas and petrochemical products industry

The overtime ban DOES NOT APPLY to employees working in the following agreement sectors of the Industrial Union:

  • Media and print workers
  • Paper distributors
  • Graphical industry office workers Grafinet

8. What if the employer tries to order overtime work or threatens with other measures?

Refusal to work overtime is a legitimate act. For example, an employer cannot prevent employees from leaving their workplaces, threaten with measures or impose sanctions.

If the employer tries to deny your participation in the overtime ban, contact your local shop steward. If your workplace does not have a shop steward, contact the Industrial Union’s employment support on-call service, tel. 020 690 447. The on-call service is open from Monday to Friday at 8.30am–3pm.

You can also report the employer’s countermeasures by email to [email protected].

9. Where can I find more information?

The Industrial Union’s employment support on-call service, tel. 020 690 447.

The on-call service is open from Monday to Friday at 8.30am–3pm.

Email [email protected]

 You can follow the news on the Union’s website and on our Facebook page.

Workplace Bulletin 12.9.2018 – Overtime ban beginning on Monday, 17 September at 00.00

Biulutyn praca 12.9.2018 – Zakaz pracy w godzinach nadliczbowych zaczyna obowiązywać w poniedziałek 17.09. o godz. 00.00

Информационный бюллетень 12.9.2018 – Запрет на сверхурочные работы начинает действовать в понедельник 17.9. в 00.00