Summer worker, join JHL!
Congratulations for getting a summer job! This is an excellent time for you to join JHL. Together we will make sure that you are treated justly and fairly in your workplace.
Are you going to start in a summer job? Here are some important things to remember:
- Make an employment contract, and do it in writing.
- Join JHL, and we will help you in problematic situations.
- Verify that your pay, additional compensations and holiday compensation are correct.
- Check the shift roster. If a shift has been agreed, it must be paid.
Making an employment contract
An employment contract tells who works, for whom, and under what terms and conditions. It covers things like the working times, pay, and holidays, so it should be done in writing and read carefully.
- The contracting parties, i.e. the employer and employee
- Does the contract have a trial period and how long is it?
- Is the employment contract for a fixed term or for an indefinite period?
- If the contract is fixed-term, what is the reason for the fixed term?
- When does the work begin?
- Where is the work done?
- What are your job duties?
- The pay, pay period and fringe benefits, such as an employer-subsidised public transport ticket or a meal benefit (for example lunch vouchers)
- Working time
- What collective agreement are the terms and conditions based on?
- How is annual leave determined?
- Period of notice, if applicable. Remember that if a contract is for a fixed term, that binds both you and the employer.
You can download an employment contract template for example from the website of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The collective agreement tells the minimum terms and conditions for your sector, such as the minimum pay and additional compensations. An employment contract may not contain terms and conditions that are inferior to what has been agreed in the collective agreement of that sector.
Join JHL – we help you also when you have a summer job!
You should join JHL as soon as you have the employment contract for your summer job!
JHL’s shop steward will help you if there are issues for example with your pay or breaks. The shop steward watches that agreements are followed, helps with questions regarding the employment relationship and contacts the trade union if needed.
Are you already a student member of JHL? It’s time to join the unemployment fund as well. You can join the unemployment fund in the myJHL member service. Then your work can be counted towards the employment condition for earnings-related unemployment benefit. Read more about the unemployment fund membership for students.
What does JHL’s membership cost?
- The cost of the membership depends on whether you are a student member or an ordinary member.
- If you have already joined JHL as a student member and have also joined the unemployment fund, the trade union membership will be free for you for the duration of your full-time studies. You will need to pay only the unemployment fund membership fee, which is 0.3% of your income, during your summer job.
- If you are only a student member of the trade union and have not joined the unemployment fund, your membership is completely free also during your summer job. Check who can join as a student member.
Summer job membership is really affordable also for ordinary members
JHL is the most affordable trade union for the welfare sectors. If you are not a student member and you have joined JHL as an ordinary working member, you pay a membership fee that is only 1% of you summer job gross pay. Gross pay is the pay before taxes and other deductions. Check your membership fee amount from our calculator.
- Diana has joined JHL as a student member two years ago. She is not a member of the unemployment fund. When her summer job begins, her membership remains free.
- Matti has been a student member of JHL for four years. He is still a full-time student. When his summer job begins, he decides to join the unemployment fund. His trade union membership is free during the summer job, but the unemployment fund membership costs 0.3% of his gross income. With an income of €2,000, Matti only pays €6 per month for the unemployment fund membership.
- Marius is an ordinary JHL member, and he has also joined the unemployment fund. He enjoys the most affordable membership fee for the welfare sectors in Finland. With an income of €2,000, he pays only €20 per month for his membership.
The unemployment fund and trade union membership fees are tax deductible. We will submit the information about your payments to the Finnish Tax Administration on your behalf.
Access a wide range of membership benefits right away!
JHL offers a vast array of benefits also for members who have joined during the summer! This includes for example a free travel insurance, benefits for cruises, holiday locations and discount codes.
Pay, additional compensations and holiday compensation
When the pay day comes, remember to check your payslip. For example, if you get paid based on the hours that you work, check that all hours have been paid. Check also that additional compensations for evening, weekend and overtime work are paid correctly.
If you have not taken holiday during your employment, you must be paid a holiday compensation at the end of your summer job. The amount of your holiday compensation depends on how long you have worked and how much you have worked each month. You can learn more for example from website Työelämään.fi.
If there is a shift for you in the roster, it must be paid
In many jobs people work according to a shift roster. The roster must be made at least a week in advance, and agreed shifts must be paid.
Always take a photo of the shift roster. If your shift is cancelled at short notice, for example because of bad weather, you have the right to get paid for the agreed shift.
Frequently asked questions about summer jobs
A collective agreement (abbreviated as TES in Finnish) is an agreement on a specific sector’s terms and conditions of employment. Collective agreements determine for instance pay, working time and the right to annual holiday and sick pay. These agreements guarantee JHL members terms and conditions of employment that are better than the minimum standards required by law.
Employment contracts often contain a trial period. During that period both you and your employer can cancel the employment contract, and doing so terminates your employment relationship immediately. There needs to be a proper reason for cancelling the contract also during the trial period.
Summer jobs are practically always for a fixed term. The maximum length of a trial period is half of the length of the fixed-term contract.
Often problems are resolved by discussing them with your supervisor or manager.
If your boss is the problem, then you should contact your JHL shop steward. They help you with many issues.
If your workplace for some reason does not have a shop steward, you can get help from the regional JHL office.
Everyone in a workplace has to treat each other fairly and equally. Such factors as age, ethnic background, language, religion, political activity or sexual orientation should not affect how an employee is treated.
Request your employer to resolve the issue if you experience or witness discrimination in your workplace. If things don’t change, contact your shop steward or contact Trade Union JHL directly. You can also report the problem to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Remember to request for a certificate of employment if you want it. An employer is obligated to issue the certificate.
You can decide whether or not the certificate contains an evaluation of how you have performed your work. You can request for a certificate of employment also orally, but if problems arise, a written request is easier to prove. You can use for example this template (in Finnish).
Do you need more information?
You can find plenty of information on working life for example from SAK’s Fair Play at Work service.
If you want to learn more about working in a summer job, you can visit the Summer Job Helpline website provided by the national labour confederations SAK, Akava and STTK.
This page contains information collected from the Summer Job Helpline website, the Fair Play at Work service, the Työelämään.fi website and the website of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.