SAK employee rights advisory service helps employees free of charge, with advice also available in English

The SAK employee rights hotline provides free assistance with questions and problems related to employment. This service is open to everyone, but is particularly intended for young employees and workers of foreign origin. There is no requirement of union membership when consulting the service.

Young employees and workers of foreign origin are particularly vulnerable to exploitation at work, as they may know too little about the labour market and the rights of employees.

“Immigrants often have insufficient understanding of the law and collective agreements in Finland, and of normal custom and practice at Finnish workplaces. The language barrier can also make things hard to understand and clarify,” explains SAK specialist of the employee rights hotline Elisa Väänänen.

Young people are also often unfamiliar with the rules of the workplace, and they may not always be aware of their rights and duties as employees.

The SAK employee rights hotline provides help in three languages on such topics as employment contracts, correct pay rates, and the right to special shift and holiday bonuses. Elisa Väänänen reports that people also often ask about minimum wages and terms of employment in various industries, and about holiday entitlements and working hours.

Informing young people and immigrants about the work of trade unions is also an important part of the service.

Advice by phone and email

• The employee rights advisory service hotline responds to telephone calls on 0800 414 004 between 14.00 and 17.00 on Mondays, and from 09.00 to 11.00 and 12.00 to 15.00 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• Questions may also be emailed to workinfinland@sak.fi at any time.
• Advice is available in English, Finnish and Swedish.