A strong will made a professional dream come true Berivan Suleiman was chosen as Refugee of the Year in 2023 and works as a security guard. As a security professional, she wants to widen the picture of immigrant women and encourage everyone to pursue their own professional dreams. Always meet the customer with a smile, said a security teacher during Suleiman’s studies. She has followed this advice in her work and received a lot of positive feedback from customers. Berivan Suleiman, 28, walks through the parking garage of a shopping center in Helsinki looking for an old couple’s car amongst hundreds of vehicles. During a shopping trip, the couple has forgotten the location of their car. When the car is finally found, the couple is overflowing with gratitude. – As a security guard and steward, you get to help and advice customers in a variety of situations. Most of our time we are patrolling and answering customers’ questions. An alarm call or an urgent problem is an exceptional situation, says Suleiman, who works for Avarn. In a shopping center, the reason for the alarm call is often shoplifting or disruptive customer behavior. When she receives an alarm, Suleiman takes off running. She feels adrenaline rushing through her body and is curious and eager to find out what’s going on. – Primarily, we solve challenging situations by talking. Only if that doesn’t help, we have to resort to force. Often the mere arrival of the security guard calms down the situation, says Suleiman. In addition to a shopping centre, she has worked e.g. in the metro, Kela service points and the Immigration Office Migri. Not a nurse, but a security guard After coming to Finland as a refugee with her two-year-old daughter in 2015, Suleiman noticed that there were native Finnish women working as guards, but she did not see a single female guard with a migrant background. – I wanted to show that even we immigrant women can work as security guards. We are strong and able. She paid attention to this, because she had dreamed of working as a security guard or a police officer for a long time. The young mother who fled the war in Syria through Turkey applied for asylum specifically in Finland, because in Finland a police officer does not need to be of Finnish origin. Even a citizen with a foreign background can work as a police officer. There was a dark reason for her dreams: Suleiman, who was forced into marriage as a minor, had a violent husband. The violence continued in Finland, even though her husband stayed in Turkey. In the eyes of her relatives who had arrived in Finland earlier, Suleiman had acted shamefully when she divorced from her husband and took their child with her. – I thought that if I am a security guard or a police officer, I can protect myself and my daughter. Many people tried to discourage Suleiman from having these dreams. The employee in the employment office said that someone who is born abroad cannot work as a security guard and suggested instead a job as a nurse, cleaner or hairdresser. Suleiman’s relatives were sure that a petite woman such as Suleiman could not be admitted to security guard studies. However, Suleiman kept her head, and found out that the door to security guard studies was open for her too. A Finnish friend helped her to fill out the application, and Suleiman got to an interview and was admitted to the school. She completed her degree in just one year. – I feel empowered and confident, says Suleiman, who has worked in the sector for three years now. Berivan Suleiman dreams not only of becoming a police officer but also of military service in the Finnish army. There is a risk that the latter dream will not come true as Suleiman’s citizenship application is stuck in Migri. This year, Suleiman turns 29 years, after which it is no longer possible to complete the military service. Language skills a strength As a woman with a migrant background, Suleiman is still a rare sight among security guards. Many customers have come to her and said that she is brave, but not everyone has been happy with her career choice. – Especially when I was working in the metro I often unintentionally ended up on social media videos. Some people think that I go against my culture and that I should stay home and take care of my children. I have also received threats through social media. But I don’t care. I think that the people who are telling me off are not able to do the same as I have done. She has also received racist treatment from customers as well as some of her colleagues. – Colleagues may talk negatively about immigrants in general terms. I always tell them that we are not all the same, not all native Finns are the same either. Her immigrant background has also been a strength for Suleiman in her working life. A security guard who knows Arabic and Kurdish has often been called to help when the language barrier between a Kela or Migri authority and a customer has grown too big. Suleiman was not familiar with the Finnish trade union movement. A familiar police officer brought up the issue when Suleiman was sexually harassed at work. “PAM has helped me on many occasions”, she says now. A professional in the service industry Suleiman’s working days are often 12–13 hours long. As a counterbalance, there are more days off than usual. During the long hours, the importance of colleagues is further emphasized. – The best thing about my work is my colleagues. We often chat a lot during the day. I have also learned a lot from my colleagues. My skills in Finnish are improving every day. According to Suleiman, a good security guard is calm and friendly. She has kept in mind the advice she got earlier: always meet the customer with a smile. Security guards and stewards are service professionals. Recently, the security industry has shown itself in a very bad light. The guards have been convicted for assaults and too harsh behavior. According to Suleiman, there are still problems in the industry, but she emphasizes that all professionals and the entire industry should not be slandered. Working as a police officer is still a dream for this young woman. However, the lack of Finnish citizenship stands in the way of her dream coming true. Suleiman has been living in Finland for eight years now, but the application is stuck in Migri due to ambiguities regarding her documents. – I firmly believe that one day I will be a police officer. It may take five or ten years, it doesn’t really matter, Suleiman says. Original text: Anu VallinkoskiImages: Eeva Anundi
Home » You searched for true You can apply for a break from membership fees A member of PAM can be unemployed for acceptable reasons. You do not need to pay membership fees during such periods. Manage your membership Join PAM Transferring to PAM from another union Who can join PAM? Members share: Why I joined PAM E-services Paying membership fee Periods without salary Tax-deducution Recommend membership Update your member information Local branches PAM for Couriers A lot of things happen in life, and the same is true for working life. In certain life situations, you may have the right to a period without membership fees. Reasons for such a period include: studies family leave military service Sickness allowance (sairauspäiväraha) or unemployment allowance (työttömyyspäiväraha) from Kela. You will not automatically receive a break from membership fees, so you will need to notify PAM if you are unemployed for an acceptable reason. This will allow you to continue your membership. For example, PAM does not directly receive information about family leave from employers, so it is important that you are active in notifying PAM. You do not need to pay membership fees if you are not receiving a salary or benefit from the unemployment fund. If you are receiving an allowance from the unemployment fund, the union and unemployment fund’s membership fees will be deducted from the allowance. However, if you are studying and working at the same time, you must pay the membership fee from the salary you receive. Read more about different life situations and their effects on membership fees. Notify PAM about a period without a salary that gives you the right to a break from membership fees either through PAM’s e-service or by calling the membership services.
Home » You searched for true Last updated: 08.08.2023 Occupational health and safety in the workplace – cooperation and collaboration At work, the employer is responsible for the health and safety of their workers. Workers also have their obligations regarding occupational health and safety. Occupational health and safety is part of industrial cooperation. Occupational health and safety Working environment Health and safety in the workplace Occupational health and safety action programme Harassment and inappropriate treatment Equality in the workplace Well-being at work Occupational accident According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the employer is responsible for the health and safety of their workers. In addition, supervisors are responsible for occupational health and safety in their area. The employer is also responsible for its supervisors’ competence in matters of occupational health and safety. Finally, occupational health and safety is part of industrial cooperation, meaning the employer manages health and safety with the workers’ representatives. Who participates in occupational health and safety cooperation? Each workplace has an occupational health and safety officer (työsuojelupäällikkö) responsible for cooperation, unless the employer handles the responsibility themselves. The health and safety officer must organise and maintain cooperation between the employer and their workers. Parties to cooperation in the workplace: occupational health and safety officer appointed by the employer (or the employer themselves) occupational health and safety representatives (työsuojeluvaltuutettu; one regular and their first and second substitute) chosen by the workers. Occupational health and safety officer The employer may appoint an occupational health and safety officer for each of their workplaces. If the employer does not appoint a health and safety officer, they must handle the responsibility themselves. The officer is responsible for taking all necessary measures to organise industrial cooperation and manage and develop the workplace’s health and safety operations. The officer appointed by the employer must be competent and qualified for the position. Occupational health and safety representatives Occupational health and safety representatives represent all workers in matters of health and safety. The regular and substitute representatives are chosen by the workers from among their number. If the regular representative is unavailable, the first or second substitute participates in their stead. The law requires occupational health and safety representatives to be elected for workplaces that regularly employ ten or more workers. Smaller workplaces can also have occupational health and safety representatives. Every worker has the right to become a candidate and vote for their workplace’s representative, regardless of whether they are union members or not. Read more about the rights and responsibilities of health and safety representatives and how the representatives are selected. The regulations of collective agreements and the related cooperation agreements differ somewhat on the structure and titles of the occupational health and safety organisation. Some industries allow the selection of occupational health and safety ombudsmen (työsuojeluasiamies) who communicate health and safety matters at their workplace. Occupational health and safety committee If a workplace has 20 or more workers, an occupational health and safety committee (työsuojelutoimikunta) must be formed by the employer and blue- and white-collar worker representatives. The committee is tasked with promoting health and safety in the workplace. The committee has four, eight, or 12 members, according to the size and circumstances of the workplace. The ratio of representatives must be 25 per cent for the employer and 75 per cent for the workers (blue- and white-collar). The committee’s structure is defined when the company’s occupational health and safety organisation is negotiated. The occupational health and safety officer and representatives are automatically members of the committee. Other members may be chosen by vote. It is important for every group of workers to feel represented in matters of health and safety. This is particularly important in companies that operate across large geographical areas or in multiple industries or who employ many different groups of workers. Tasks of the occupational health and safety committee: prepare an annual action plan based on the workplace’s occupational health and safety action programme review the current state and development of working conditions and propose improvements to the employer discuss the need for and execution and monitoring of working condition studies discuss how to organise health and safety monitoring at the workplace discuss the need for internal health and safety inspections and proposals for the above assess the workplace’s occupational health and safety action programme and other plans concerning working conditions, including the monitoring of their results review occupational healthcare content and practices propose improvements to occupational healthcare discuss the organising of health and safety training at the workplace participate in workplace health promotion activities participate in health and safety inspections and studies, if necessary discuss the organising of health and safety communications at the workplace. Organising occupational health and safety cooperation The occupational health and safety officer meets with the workers’ representatives to discuss the following: “workplace” as a concept size of the occupational health and safety organisation number of members and representation in the occupational health and safety committee division of workers into groups (blue-collar, white-collar, and employer representatives). In the service sector, “workplace” may refer to a single company that operates in one location or a group of companies operating as a chain, and everything in between. Industrial cooperation in occupational health and safety must be organised in a way that makes true participation possible for the workers. In practice, this means negotiating the composition of the organs who decide, plan, monitor, and evaluate each workplace’s health and safety needs and measures and how workers will be represented in all of these levels. The areas of occupational health and safety responsibilities can be divided into: individual workplaces geographical operating areas duty-specific operating areas national areas combined corporate chains or marketing groups. See also Occupational health and safety action measures are based on a programme Occupational health and safety representatives are chosen by vote Occupational health and safety representatives – rights and responsibilities Useful links Occupational safety and health representative – Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement and Cooperation on Occupational Safety and Health at Workplaces (pdf) (44/2006)
PAM announced a three-day political strike in trade logistics centres – ”The government is changing the rules of the game in favour of the employers” Service Union United PAM has decided on a three-day long political strike in retail logistics centres. The strike affects approximately 10,000 employees. The government is changing the labour legislation and terms of employment permanently in favour of the employers, says PAM President Annika Rönni-Sällinen. PAM’s Executive Committee decided on new political strikes as Orpo-Purra’s government has not heard the workers’ distress. The government has already weakened the income security of part-time workers on low pay and the unemployed, and is further planning to change Finnish working life drastically by making it easier to dismiss workers, restricting the right to strike, and by making the first day of sick leave unpaid. In addition, the government also wants to change the Finnish labour market model to be even more employer-friendly by expanding local bargaining to companies that do not belong to a employers’ association. — As with the government’s cuts in social security, also in local bargaining, the workers who are already in the weakest position are hardest hit by the government’s proposed measures, says PAM’s President Annika Rönni-Sällinen. Many young people and immigrants work in the service industry, working alone is commonplace, and the turnover is high. —It makes you wonder who would agree on matters on behalf of others and how equitable it would be when the right to agree on weaker terms would now extend completely to companies outside the support and control of the unions and employers’ associations. It is indeed a strange idea that the government would know better than the social partners what kind of local agreement models work for different industries. The proposed changes may very well only deepen the division in the labour market, says Rönni-Sällinen. The government’s plans do not enjoy the support of the citizens. According to a survey conducted by Verian (formerly TNS-Kantar) for PAM, 65 percent of the working-age population believe that employers have better opportunities to influence the end result when working conditions are agreed locally. The government justifies its actions with economic and employment effects, but there is actually no scientific or other credible evidence of the employment effects of local bargaining. —The balance of bargaining could be improved and the worst excesses mitigated if the preference of interpretation of local agreements was transferred to employees. That would be a true Swedish model, Rönni-Sällinen proposes. Local bargaining refers to agreeing on the terms of the employment or changes to the terms of the employment at workplace level. Local agreements can always provide better terms for the employee than the law or the collective agreement, but weakening the terms can only be agreed locally if the law and the collective agreement allow it. The government wants to make it possible to agree on weaker terms even for companies that are not part of the employers’ association and without the workers being represented by a union representative trained for the task, even if the collective agreement requires it. There are several significant risks in the proposed changes: First of all, employers who already treat their employees poorly would be given more opportunities to weaken the workers’ position. Secondly, in competitive domestic market sectors, the expansion of local bargaining tends to increase unfair competition between companies, which ultimately results in an outcome that is worse for everyone. In addition, companies’ incentives to organize weaken, which undermines the very foundation of a model based on universally binding collective agreements. As a whole, there may be less local bargaining, if the possibilities for local bargaining have to be reduced in collective agreements in order to prevent uncontrolled development. Detailed information on strike locations here
Home » You searched for true Join PAM PAM is your union if you work in the private service sector as a salesperson, cleaner, waiter, cook, security guard or caretaker, for example. We negotiate the terms and conditions of your job. Join PAM Join as student member Join as courier member Join PAM – You won’t be alone As a member of PAM, you have the right to get services from PAM: employment relationship hotline, training, unemployment benefit, legal aid and legal counselling. There are many other valuable benefits as well. You can join PAM when you work in the private service sector, study for such a job, or have your own business. When you are a PAM member, the worry is taken out of working We make sure that you are treated fairly, your wages are paid correctly and that the collective agreement is complied with in your job. As a PAM member you can get help if something is unclear or bothering you. You can ask for advice on PAM’s service channels or from your union representative. You don’t pay for the month during which you join PAM When you join PAM, you don’t have to pay the membership fee for the first month (the calendar month when you join). For example, if you join on 10 September, you will start paying the fee starting from 1 October. This benefit does not apply to people who leave PAM and then join again within 12 months. Use the calculator to estimate your membership fee Who can join? You can join PAM when you work in the private service sector, study for such a job, or have your own business. You can join if you work in the private service sector work as a supervisor in the service sector study for a job in the service sector Are self-employed or have your own business. You can also transfer to PAM from another union or unemployment fund. Read how to transfer to PAM. You cannot join when • you are on parental leave• you are unemployed or temporarily laid off• you are on another leave during which you get no wages or salary. PAM Couriers Finland Do you work as a food courier? PAM Couriers Finland ry is a nation-wide trade union branch that brings together couriers from different platform companies. The aim is to improve couriers position financially and socially. Members include couriers from Wolt and Foodora. Read more and join here Students You should already join PAM when you are a student at a vocational institute or university of applied sciences, studying for work in the service sector. Students don’t have to pay any membership fees. Read more about student membership If you work while studying, you should join as a full member and pay membership fees. You will then also have the right to get employment advice and possibly legal counselling. Lue lisää varsinaisesta jäsenyydestä Join as a student member – no fee! Summer job or temporary job in the service industry You should join PAM as a full member when you start a summer job in the service sector or work in the service sector during your studies. You never know what kinds of issues you may face in your workplace, and the union can assist you with questions about matters such as your employment relationship and wages. Unemployment security As a full member, you can also accumulate the employment requirement for your earnings-related unemployment allowance. You meet the employment requirement once you have been in salaried work for at least 26 calendar weeks. Each calendar week in which you work for at least 18 hours counts as a week for the employment requirement, as long as you also pay membership fees based on your salary. The employment requirement must be fulfilled during a period of 28 months. Read more about earnings-related unemployment allowance and the employment requirement on the unemployment fund’s website. Union membership is a good idea, even if you only work in the service sector for a short while. If you later go on to another field, you can transfer to another union. Join PAM Are you self-employed (have your own business)? If you are an entrepreneur or self-employed, you can join PAM as an entrepreneur member, but you can’t be a member of PAM’s unemployment fund. As an entrepreneur, you pay membership fees based on the earnings that are used to define your pension insurance premium. You are considered to be an entrepreneur if you pay YEL or MYEL pension premiums or have another statutory pension insurance, or one of the following is true: You work in a leading position in a limited company (osakeyhtiö) in which you own at least 15% of the share capital or have corresponding power You work in a leading position in a limited company in which you, together with your family members, own at least 30% of the share capital or have corresponding power You work in another position in a limited company in which you, alone or together with your family members, own at least 50% of the share capital or the voting power, or have corresponding power You work in another company or organisation in which you, alone or together with your family members, have the kind of power that has been described above. You are also considered to be an entrepreneur if your family member is an active partner in a limited partnership (kommandiittiyhtiö), or your family member has a business name (toiminimi). You are considered to be in a leading position if you are the managing director, board member or have similar authority in the business. Family members include spouses, live-in partners and direct descendants and ancestors of the entrepreneur who live in the same household. If you own a share in your employer company as listed above, you are usually considered to be an entrepreneur when unemployment benefits are considered. You may then not have the right to get daily allowances from a workers’ unemployment fund. The Entrepreneur Fund offers benefits to entrepreneurs and their family members. Join PAM How do I transfer to PAM from another union or unemployment fund? It’s easy to transfer to PAM. Just enter the information about your previous union or unemployment fund in the PAM membership form. If you are transferring to PAM from another union or unemployment fund, fill in the information of that union or fund in the membership form. Also remember to select the item that will authorise PAM to manage your move from another organisation. You don’t need to tell your previous union about transferring to PAM; PAM will contact them and manage everything. When does my membership begin? Your membership begins on the day when the form arrives at PAM’s member register. You don’t have to pay the membership fee for the first month (the month when you join). For example, if you join on 10 September, you will start paying the fee from 1 October. This benefit does not apply to people who leave PAM and then join again within 12 months. When I change unions, will my unemployment security continue uninterrupted? It is safe to transfer to PAM from another union or unemployment fund. Just make sure there is no break in your memberships. When you transfer, your right to an earnings-related unemployment allowance will continue. If you have already left your previous union or unemployment fund, make sure that you join PAM within 30 days. If you do this, you will still meet the employment requirement for the earnings-related unemployment allowance. Make sure that your membership fee for the previous union or unemployment fund has been paid up until the day when you transfer. Join PAM You get extensive services and benefits as a PAM member! Membership has significant benefits. The union representative at the workplace and PAM’s experts help you with issues regarding your employment relationship. If necessary, you get legal aid for free and other great benefits. As a member of PAM, you get to take part in trainings gratis, get career coaching, and tens of discounts that you can enjoy both in working life and leisure. Join PAM today! We negotiate the terms of your employment for you Many rules that are applied to your job, such as minimum wages, holiday bonuses and working hours, are agreed in collective agreements. The law doesn’t have rules about all of them.The most important task of PAM is to negotiate collective agreements for the service industries and to make sure that the agreements are followed. Read more Help from experts You can always contact our employment relationship specialists. If things get very bad, and negotiations don’t help, you can also get help from a union lawyer. If you think that the company may not be doing what the collective agreement says, the wages are too low, or the work if not safe, you can ask us to help. Read more Security during unemployment When you become a member of PAM, you also become a member of the PAM unemployment fund (Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM). The unemployment fund will pay you an earnings-related unemployment allowance if you lose your job or are laid off. Read more about the unemployment fund Free career services help you find your career Do you want to study for another job or find the thing that you are really good at? Our career service doesn’t cost you anything. You will get personal coaching and can take various courses and webinars. Career services Participate in training to learn new skills PAM offers a large variety of courses. You can choose online training courses or on-site courses where you will also be able to build your networks. You can take all the training courses offered by PAM free of cost. Training services PAM Magazine PAM Magazine is delivered to your home six times a year. The magazine provides up-to-date information about service sectors and plenty of other useful information. Read more You get many valuable benefits Holidays, cabins, legal services, the thousands of benefits available in the CityShoppari app, and much more! For example, the holiday weeks of HolidayClub will be hundreds of euros cheaper for you. Take a look at the membership benefits Online store PAM’s online store offers high-quality Finnish products and PAM products. The online store is open to everyone. PAM members can purchase products at member prices, and some products such as print-outs of collective agreements are free for members. Online store Membership card When you join PAM, you will get a personal membership number and membership card. Your membership number will be sent to you as a text message when your information has been recorded into PAM’s member register. You will also find your membership number and card in PAM’s e-services. E-service Jobs in the service sector PAM’s jobs site makes it easy to apply directly for jobs in your sector. You can refine the search results e.g. based on location, occupation, type of employment or company. You can set up a Job monitor that e-mails you job vacancies directly. Jobs site Free career services help you find your path Do you want to study for another job or find the thing that you are really good at? Our career service doesn’t cost you anything. You will get personal coaching and can take various courses and webinars. Read more Membership fee The membership fee is 1.5% of your wages before taxes, and it includes the fee for the unemployment fund membership. The membership fee is tax-deductible; this means that you don’t have to pay taxes for this part of your wages. There are two ways to pay the membership fees: You can authorise your employer to take the fee directly out of your wages, or you can pay the fee yourself. Read more about paying membership fees. Example 1If your montly wages were EUR 1,000, your membership fee would be EUR 15. Example 2If your wages before taxes are EUR 25,000 per year, the average membership fee would be EUR 265 when taking into account the tax deduction. You don’t pay for the month during which you join PAM. Read more Join PAM Calculate your membership fee Become a member PAM is your union if you work in the private service sector as a salesperson, cleaner, waiter, cook, security guard or caretaker, for example. We negotiate the terms and conditions of your job. Read more and join
STOP now! demonstration on 1 February in Helsinki – come along! Finland’s leading employee confederations SAK and STTK are arranging a major STOP now! demonstration to protest against government cuts in working conditions and social welfare. The demonstration will take place in Helsinki Senate Square from 12.00 to 14.00 on Thursday 1 February. The trade unions have stressed the severe human impact of the many changes in legislation that cut unemployment and social security, restrict the right to strike and weaken terms of employment. The SAK and trade unions are worried about the consequences for individuals and the labour market. But the government has not taken these concerns seriously and has not agreed to true dialogue with workers and the trade union movement. Therefore, SAK and STTK are accordingly calling on all individuals and civil society organisations who are concerned about this government policy to join the demonstration. The common message from the unions and their allies to a government seeking cuts in working conditions and public wellbeing is to suspend these preparations at once. —The first cuts affecting the unemployed have already taken effect and the government is already preparing further measures. Weaker job security, unpaid sick leave and restrictions on the right to strike are just around the corner. The attack on employee rights will enable a massive increase of social inequality in Finland,” says SAK President Jarkko Eloranta. PAM President Annika Rönni-Sällinen encourages everyone to take part in the demonstration. —No previous government has ignored workers as this government does in its policies. Now it’s time to show that we won’t accept it. Bus transport from provincial centres will be arranged for demonstrators attending from other parts of Finland. Food and programme events will also be arranged at Helsinki Senate Square. Several civil society organisations have already declared their intention to join the demonstration. Read more about the demonstration
Home » You searched for true Last updated: 21.06.2023 Using chairs at work Employers are responsible for their workers’ health and safety, including appropriate seats. Employers may not forbid the use of chairs at work without a good work-related cause and hearing the workers. Occupational health and safety Working environment Threat of violence Hazard identification Work clothes and shoes Working alone Workplace temperatures Indoor air quality Noise Chairs at work Ergonomics Health and safety in the workplace Harassment and inappropriate treatment Equality in the workplace Well-being at work Occupational accident Workers must have access to seats at work, but sitting is prohibited at some retail sector workplaces such as self-checkout stations. Note that employers may not prioritise their workplace’s appearance or image above health and safety requirements. Employers are responsible for occupational health and safety By law, employers must protect the health and safety of their workers at work. The purpose of this obligation is to prevent hazardous situations and other risks work could pose to the health and safety of workers. If the risks cannot be eliminated, appropriate methods must be chosen to reduce them as much as possible. As a result, employers must analyse and assess the work’s hazards and stress factors. The employer must use competent experts for the above. Occupational healthcare specialists such as physiotherapists are qualified experts on healthy working positions and ergonomics. (Occupational Safety and Health Act (pdf), 738/2002, sections 8 and 10.) Workers have a legal right to appropriate seats at their workplace if their work can be done while seated. If the workers cannot work while seated, they must still have access to seats for resting purposes. (Government Decree on Workplace Health and Safety Requirements, 577/2003, section 3, in Finnish) Employers may not forbid sitting without hearing the workers The dangers of constant sitting have been a hot topic in recent years. New research has also pointed to problems with stationary work done standing up. For optimal health outcomes, working positions should be varied throughout the day. Workplaces must assess the need for chairs based on how they affect the current and future work ability of workers. For example, this means accounting for wear on joints over time. The individual differences of workers must also be considered. Categorically prohibiting the use of chairs is not the best solution for bad ergonomics. The same is true of prevention. Also note that employers may not prioritise their workplace’s appearance or image above health and safety requirements. The market is full of good ergonomic chairs, including models for tight spaces and jobs that require workers to quickly get up and go. By law, employers have a general duty to exercise care. Forcing workers to practically stand still for a full shift without the work requiring them to do so goes against this statutory duty. The problem remains even if the length of the work shift is shortened to four hours, for example. You should also read the Yle article Sitting Kills, but Standing All Day is Bad, Too (in Finnish). Changes require industrial cooperation By law, any matters directly affecting the health and safety of workers, including changes, must be discusses in industrial cooperation for occupational health and safety, which means the occupational health and safety committee (työsuojelutoimikunta). The use or prohibition of chairs is undeniably a matter that affects the health of workers, which means it may not be decided by the employer on their own. Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement and Cooperation on Occupational Safety and Health at Workplaces (pdf) (44/2006, section 26, subsection 1) What can I do if my employer forbids sitting? Contact your occupational health and safety representative. A health and safety representative must be elected for any workplace that regularly employs more than ten workers. The occupational health and safety representative must demand that the matter be discussed in the occupational health and safety committee. The committee discussion must include a competent expert – a physiotherapist from the occupational health service, for example. If the matter is not resolved, contact your Regional State Administrative Agency’s occupational health and safety unit. Request an inspection to discuss the matter. See also Good ergonomics are required by law Hazard identification and risk assessment
