Unions push for major overhaul of Finland's annual leave law, including extra week off

Engineers' Union chair Samu Salo and Tradenom advocacy director Ville-Veikko Rantamaula say Finland's vacation law has lagged behind for decades and fails to support modern work life. Their reform plan calls for ending the Saturday vacation calculation, introducing a right to unpaid leave, guaranteeing complete holiday entitlement after a job change, and allowing employees to earn 2.5 days of leave per month from day one.

The unions stress that current scheduling, especially for families with school-age children, leaves little joint leisure time and that the five-day workweek still penalises workers who switch jobs. They argue that an additional week of leave would reduce sick-absence costs, enhance wellbeing, and raise overall productivity. While they doubt one outlet government will act, they expect the next administration to consider the changes as part of growth-oriented reforms.