The terms under which employees can take sabbatical leaves from their jobs will be less attractive as of the start of next year. The government plans to cut 7.5 million euros in annual funding for the scheme that allows employees to take periods off from work at partial pay. Union reaction has been critical.
Under an agreement on sabbatical leave with an employer, a full-time employee can take leave from his or her job for between 90 and 359 days. During the period of leave, the employer must recruit a jobless person, though not necessarily to perform the former duties of the person on leave. This allows for the possibility of work rotation.
At present, under the terms of the scheme, the employee on leave receives 70 to 80 percent of the daily unemployment allowance to which he or she would be entitled if unemployed.
The government plan is to cut payment to 60 percent as of the start of 2012.
"Sabbatical leaves are an important system for wage earners in helping them survive workplace stresses and it brings flexibility into working life by allowing one to get away for a while. We, of course, don't like these cuts," says Joonas Rahkola, an economist for the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK.
These sabbaticals are funded by a combination of state, employee and employer contributions. Last year, the state spent around 85 million euros on the sabbatical leave scheme.
In practice, the state will be saving only 1.5 million euros by lowering the percentage of pay for those people on leave. This is because the basic social security payments that determine unemployment benefits are going up at the same time.
The government is expected to present a bill on the issue to Parliament in October.
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