Labor and employment

Labor and employment law are of essential importance for every company and are one of our areas of profound expertise and experience . Doing business within Finland entails working within local labor and employment laws. Finland is imposing a degree of regulation on employment relationships as high as or even higher than in other countries and Finland belongs to the most union-organized countries in Europe .

Individual employment relations

Many or even most aspects of employment are governed by employee-friendly rules or readings of the law. Even though also Finnish employment law is currently in a process of change as it is throughout the EU, employers should treat employment issues as an important concern requiring as much attention as sales figures, profits and taxation. Leaving employment issues to the last minute could and mostly will turn out expensive.

Finnish labor and employment law is manageable and possibilities to find flexible and employer-friendly.solutions exist. We assist employers in all aspects of individual and collective employment law, and amongst our clientele are industrial manufactures, financing services, sales and distribution, public services, sports and foreign embassies.

Collective labor agreements

In Finland exist over a hundred of different collective agreements requiring reasonable preparation and a recognition of some basic principles when planning employment - prior to entering into employment agreements. In addition, EU employment legislation applies throughout the EU, and has an increasing influence also on Finnish national laws. This applies even though discretion as to what is to be enacted by EU-Member States is often granted.

We at VSK know how to deal with employment laws and how to benefit from collective agreements, including but not limited to the negotiation of local, company-tailored own agreements.

Non-disclosure, competition and data protection

Reliance or, trust, is as important as it is risky. Both the employer and the employee need to know what to be kept confidential and to implement and fulfill the obligations related to confidentiality in practice, not only towards competitors but also, for example, when it comes to the question on how to react if questioned by competition or other authorities. The same applies in regard of the obligation not to compete with the employer and his business during the term of employment and thereafter. The drafting and implementation of legally valid and enforceable non-disclosure obligations and agreements on non-competition requires a thorough knowledge of the available contractual tools and the current legislation and precedents.

Information technology and electronic communication media provide for an increased need to protect employers against unauthorized use and the loss of data stored in whatsoever media. The Finnish legislation on e-mail supervision and the protection of privacy in electronic media is employee-friendly and requires an employer to properly examine the possibilities available for data protection.