Meet Leyla. She is opening Kuu Kitchen in Tampere, and she has just written a contract for Ali, her chef. But in Finland, three sets of rules decide what Ali gets: the law, the collective agreement and the contract. This episode covers how they fit together, and which one wins.
The rules
The law sets the minimum
The law sets the minimum for everyone: working hours, rest, holidays and notice. No contract can go below it.
Source: Employment Contracts Act 13:6
The collective agreement is generally binding
The collective agreement is called työehtosopimus in Finnish, or TES for short. It sets minimum pay, premiums and roster rules for a whole industry. For restaurants, it is the MaRa agreement. It is generally binding, so you must follow it even if you are not a member of MaRa.
Source: Employment Contracts Act 2:7
A contract can be better, never worse
A contract can give more than the TES. It can never give less. A term that is worse than the generally binding TES is void, and the TES term applies instead.
Source: Employment Contracts Act 2:7
In practice
Example: a contract with no evening premium
Ali’s contract says: no evening premium. He often works until midnight, and the MaRa agreement pays a premium for evening work from 6 pm. The contract term is worse than the TES, so it does not count. Ali gets the premium for every hour after 6 pm.
Source: MaRa agreement 16 § · Employment Contracts Act 2:7
Most common mistake: “there is no minimum wage”
Finland has no minimum wage set by law, so some owners think they can pay whatever they agree. They can’t. Unions and employers agree on pay industry by industry, and the TES sets the minimum pay for each job.
Source: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
Check your own contracts
Does every contract name the right collective agreement? Is the pay at least the TES minimum? Go through the checklist before you sign the next one.
Source: Employment Contracts Act 2:7
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Based on the Employment Contracts Act and the MaRa collective agreement 2025–2028; only the Finnish text of the agreement is binding.
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