Overtime in the Services Sector

The Working Time Act (työaikalaki) says that if you work more than eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week, it is overtime. If working time is counted in your sector in periods of three weeks (120 hours), for example, and you work for more than 120 hours, that is overtime.

Your workplace may also use a system for averaging working hours and an even longer period for counting working hours. The working hours may be flexible within one period, but when looking at the period as a whole, the number of hours should always be the same. In these cases, overtime is considered on a case by case basis.

The same hour limits apply to part-time workers. Overtime is not the same thing as part-time workers’ extra hours. Extra hours mean that a part-time worker works more hours than his or her employment contract says. The pay for extra hours is usually the same as for regular hours.

You don’t have to do overtime if you don’t want to. Overtime is always voluntary for the worker.

Collective agreements have rules about higher pay

Collective agreements have rules about higher pay. The rules are different for different working time systems.

Click the link to read about the overtime rules in your sector:

• Commercial Sector
• Hotel, Restaurant and Leisure Industry
• Property Services Sector
• List of collective agreements in all PAM’s sectors