Changes to the Annual Holidays Act

Parliament approves changes to the Annual Holidays Act, starting 1.4.2016. Following Parliament's decision the employee's deductible portion of sick days during the annual holiday returns.

• The deductible consists of the first six days when an employee becomes sick during the annual holiday. During these days the holiday cannot be moved.
• The employee always has the right to keep four weeks of his or her holiday according to the directive on working time. The deductible is limited to the annual holiday exceeding four weeks.
• The maximum amount of deductible days are six days per working year.

Parliament also reduced the holiday accrued during family leave.

• During family leave, annual holiday days are accrued only during six months of the working year. Until now family leave has not affected the holiday accrual.
• The aim of the reduction is to distribute the costs of family leave more evenly.

Exceptions from both changes can be made in collective agreements. The changes come into force starting from 1.4.2016, so that changes in the right to move ones holiday affect holidays held during the summer of next year.