Free Summer Job Helpline helps summer employees throughout summer
The Summer Job Helpline service of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava) and the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK) is open again.
The service provides summer employees with free advice in employment-related questions by telephone, in WhatsApp and using the contact form. The service is available to all summer employees, and its use does not require any union membership.
Summer Job Helpline Advisor Vee Tirinen finds it important that young people are provided with a low-threshold service to support them during their first steps in working life.
“Summer employees can ask for advice from the Summer Job Helpline even before signing the employment contract if some clause seems unclear or if they want to verify that everything is correct. The Helpline also provides advice in questions related to wages, shifts and trial periods,” Tirinen says.
Tirinen has studied law at the University of Eastern Finland. They focused on labour law in their bachelor’s thesis, in which they studied working hours policies in the platform economy. This is their second summer as a Summer Job Helpline Advisor.
Summer Job Helpline Advisor Vee Tirinen has studied law at the University of Eastern Finland. Photo: Pauli Vento/SAK
Confidential low-threshold support
Last year, summer employees had questions related especially to wages, working hours, employment contracts and occupational safety. Wage-related questions mostly concerned the amount of wages and increments, and in questions regarding working hours, summer employees wanted to know whether the employer has to pay wages during cancelled shifts.
Tirinen emphasises that the threshold for asking for help is always low as all questions are handled in confidence.
“Young summer employees should identify their rights and obligations in great detail. No-one needs to or should stay alone if they have a problem,” they say.
The Summer Job Helpline also provides advice for young summer employees’ employers and family members.
Advice throughout summer
The Summer Job Helpline is available from 2 May to 31 August 2024. Summer Job Helpline Advisors can be reached from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 3 pm by calling +358 800 179 279 or by sending a message in WhatsApp to +358 40 747 1571. Summer employees can also use the electronic contact form. Advice is available in Finnish, Swedish and English. The service can also be contacted anonymously.
Before contacting, read responses to frequently asked questions and the summer employees’ checklist on the Summer Job Helpline’s website.