Are you currently or have you just been on an unpaid winter
holiday? Did you know that in certain situations, daily allowance can also be
paid for periods when you are not receiving a salary. This type of an unpaid
period is called a period comparable to a layoff.

According
to the Act on Unemployment Security, a situation comparable to a temporary
layoff is a situation in which work is suspended and no salary is paid due to a
reason stated in the employment contract (Chapter 1, Section 5(14) of said
Act). A situation comparable to a temporary layoff is not the same as a layoff.
Layoffs are carried out according to the layoff procedure, whereas situations
comparable to a temporary layoff are determined by a clause in the employment
contract. Any unpaid periods during the employment relationship should already
be specified in the employment contract. Any other unpaid periods stated
afterwards in a separate document cannot be considered as clauses of the
employment contract, which were agreed upon at the beginning of the employment.
The employment contract must state that the employee will not work or receive
salary during holidays.

In
situations comparable to a temporary layoff, you will be paid a full or
adjusted daily allowance as in the case of any actual temporary layoff. How you
should apply for daily allowance for your winter holiday, for example, depends
on whether you are in part-time or full-time employment.

Part-time employment and unpaid winter holiday

If
you are working part-time and have already applied for daily allowance from the
fund, you can carry on with your applications as usual. When determining your
adjusted daily allowance, the salary you received from part-time work will be
taken into account for the whole month in which your salary was paid. Even if
your payday fell on an unpaid period, such as your winter holiday, your salary
will be adjusted to the entire application period. People working part-time are
almost always paid adjusted daily allowance for the application period on which
their winter holiday or other such unpaid period falls.

However,
if you work part-time and only apply for allowance for the duration of your winter
holiday, your salary for the entire application period (one month or four
weeks) will affect the amount of your adjusted daily allowance. As a rule,
people working part-time can apply for daily allowance even for periods during
which they are working. Be sure to keep your jobseeker status active. Submit a
copy of your employment contract and a report of your weekly working hours
along with your application.

Full-time employment and unpaid winter holiday

If
you are in full-time employment, you are only entitled to daily allowance for
the period comparable to a temporary layoff. You may only apply for daily
allowance for that unpaid period. You can, for example, apply for daily
allowance for the duration of your winter holiday from 22 February to 28 February
2021. This unpaid period must be mentioned in your employment
contract. When you apply, submit a copy of your employment contract to the fund
if you have not already done so.  You should also submit a report of your
weekly working hours with your application. Make sure that your jobseeker
status is kept active at the TE Office.

If
you are in full-time employment and your employment contract has no clauses specifying
unpaid periods, we cannot pay you daily allowance for the period.

If
you are unsure of your situation, keep your jobseeker status active. When we
process your application, we can look into your situation and give you further
instructions.