Summer worker: What to do if you fall ill?
The employee must also shoulder his/her responsibility, one cannot just inform the employer of the illness afterwards. Photo: GettyImages.
If you become ill and cannot work, you have the right to stay at home. Your employer must give you instructions if and how you are expected to provide a sick leave certificate in order to verify your being ill. You are advised to check with your employer and read the terms of the collective labour agreement as to the payment and related provisions during your sick leave. They are valid also in fixed-time employment contracts, such as summer jobs and seasonal jobs.
Do I have the right to occupational health care?
Summer employees are equally entitled to basic occupational health care, just as any other employees. If your contract is of short duration, it does not necessarily include the same occupational health checks as permanent employees have in their contracts. If it is the company policy to provide health care services only after the trial period, the same rule applies for summer employees. If it is the company policy to provide occupational health care from the start of the employment, then the rule must apply also for summer employees. The employer is not allowed to discriminate between employees because of the type of their employment contract.
If I fall ill, what should I remember?
You must inform your supervisor about your illness and follow the instructions provided by your employer. It varies from one workplace to another in which way you are expected to provide this information. If your employer demands a medical statement, you must present one. It is advisable to find out about these rules in advance.
In principle, a medical statement is always required but if your workplace follows some other rule, you must be aware of it. People often start asking about the rules and procedures only when they have already fallen ill. Therefore, it is advisable to make sure that the procedures concerning illness and sick leaves are explained to you when you are first introduced to your job. The employee must also shoulder his/her responsibility, one cannot just inform the employer of the illness afterwards. Medical statements are issued either by occupational health care or municipal health care facilities.
Do I get paid while I am ill?
In most collective agreements, the employer’s obligation to pay wages/salaries is, at most, eight weeks, depending on the duration of the employment. In the case of some short employment contracts, the employee may not be entitled to pay during his/her sick leave. You are always advised to check this with your employer. In some agreements falling under PAM’s Tutustu ja tienaa summer trainee programme, there are separate terms on compensating the working hours lost due to illness. Those with an ordinary summer employee contract comply with ordinary rules.
Check if there are any no-pay day/s during sick leave in your collective labour agreement. The security guard sector as well as the facilities services sector, for instance, have no-pay day/s in their collective agreements. According to the terms of the facilities services collective agreement, the so-called no-pay day shall not be deducted from the pay during the sick leave in the case of an occupational accident.
Depending on the branch, the early days/months of the employment are often not included in the employers’ obligation in collective agreements to pay for sick leave. You can check the pay based on the duration of employment, in the collective agreement tables. In the commercial sector, for instance, the sick pay is 50% of the pay in the beginning of the employment. This is good to be aware of.
What if I meet with an accident at work or on my way to/from work?
If you have to stay away from work for a long time due to an illness, for instance, your fixed-time employment contract may come to an end during your sick leave. In case of an occupational accident, you are advised to demand sick pay because, in any case, it will be paid by an insurance company. Employers have insurance policies for occupational accidents and the policies cover the costs caused by the accident, e.g. medical charges and loss of pay.
When the employer’s obligation to pay your wages/salary during the sick leave ends, Kela (Social Insurance Institution of Finland) will pay you a daily allowance based on the Sickness Insurance Act.
Commercial sector's collective agreement
Facilities Services Sector - Collective agreement
Hotel, restaurant and leisure industry - Collective agreement
This article is based on an interview with PAM's work environment expert Erika Kähärä.
If I fall ill, what should I remember?
- You must inform your supervisor about your illness.
- If your employer demands a medical statement, you must present one.
- Medical statements are issued either by occupational health care or municipal health care facilities.
- Get to know what your collective agreement states about the pay for sick leave.
This news was updated 28 March 2019.
Text:: Marie Sandberg-Chibani