Do you do seasonal work in Lapland?

It can be difficult for a seasonal worker to seek help on their own, particularly if you don’t know the language well. Seasonal work membership offers comprehensive basic services and support in employment matters.

As a seasonal work member of PAM you get:

• Reliable information, advice and support for defending your rights.

• PAM’s employment experts’ negotiation and advisory services, including calculations for example of unpaid wages during the membership period. 

• Advocacy for better working conditions. 

• Security and community support, which reduces the risk of workplace exploitation. 
• Membership in the Unemployment fund.

The rights and working conditions of seasonal workers are important to PAM. The union’s presence also helps prevent problems and raises the threshold for employers to violate terms of employment. 

Please note, that seasonal work membership does not include all PAM member services, such as legal aid. PAM lawyer’s services are provided only in exceptional cases to seasonal work members.

Seasonal work is work that:  

• is tied to specific industries, such as tourism, during certain seasons
• is temporary and lasts no more than 9 months within a 12-month period
• is based on an employment relationship, meaning you have an employment contract. 

Seasonal work is for example:

• work associated with accommodation or restaurants, but only if the company’s activities are seasonal
• work as a tourist guide or wilderness guide
• work as a ski instructor.

More on what counts as seasonal work

Seasonal workers in Finland are a large group including lot of foreign employees. Many are young and work in short-term positions in tourism industry.
 
Seasonal workers often face challenges in their employment relationships because of:  

• Limited knowledge of Finnish labor market rules – many are unaware of their rights or collective agreements. 

• Excessively long working hours and wage deficiencies – serious issues with compliance with collective agreements. 

• Language barriers – communication between workers and employers can be challenging, especially in problematic situations. 

• Malpractise by recruitment services – intermediaries in home countries may charge illegal fees, which are difficult to monitor from Finland. 

• Unstable work schedules – shift schedules may change at short notice without valid reasons, which violates collective agreements and makes life planning impossible for workers. 

After the campaign period, your membership in PAM will automatically continue as standard membership. You will pay the full membership fee and get access to all member services, including legal aid. You can end your membership at any time.

The normal membership fee is 1.5 percent of your gross salary. Gross salary means salary before taxes.

Read more about standard PAM membership

Yes, please inform us of any changes to your employment. You should notify us, for example

• if you leave Finland and want to end your membership
• if you change employer or occupation
• if your contact details such as address, phone number or email changes
• if you have a period without salary – you may get break from membership fee during that time.

As a member, you can easily update your details and notify us of any changes in PAM’s eService.

If you have any questions, please call the membership helpline 030 100 630 (weekdays from 10:00 to 14:00).

Yes. You can pay €15 every month or the entire season in one payment.