Expulsion from the fund
You can resign from the unemployment fund by submitting a written resignation notification. The unemployment fund can also expel its members, for example, on the basis of unpaid membership fees or fraud. The union cannot expel members from the unemployment fund.
According to the fund rules, having consulted the member concerned, the fund’s Board or, with authorisation from the Board, the Head of the Unemployment Fund or an employee of the fund can issue a notice or warning or expel a member who
- has provided false or misleading information upon joining the fund;
- has fraudulently stated or concealed something that affects entitlement to an allowance or other benefit for which the fund is responsible, or its amount; or
- refuses to abide by the rules of the unemployment fund.
If a member fails to pay membership fees for a period of more than six (6) months, the member will be expelled from the date on which the fees became outstanding. The expulsion decision is made by the Head of the Unemployment Fund.
The unemployment fund may terminate the membership of a member who has permanently left the profession or sector that falls within the fund’s scope. The expulsion decision is made by the unemployment fund’s Board or, with authorisation from the Board, the Head of the Unemployment Fund or an employee of the fund.
A member who has become a full-time entrepreneur under the Unemployment Security Act may keep their unemployment fund membership for up to 18 months from the start date of business activities. After this, the member is considered to have permanently left the profession or sector that falls within the fund’s scope and can therefore be expelled from the fund. The expulsion decision is made by the Head of the Unemployment Fund or an employee of the fund, with authorisation from the Board.
The union cannot expel members from the unemployment fund
If you have been a member of the Unemployment Fund for Education and Science via the trade union and have been expelled from the union due to missing membership fees, you can still be a member of the unemployment fund. If you want to keep your unemployment fund membership, you must pay the missing membership fees.
- If you want your trade union membership to be reinstated, contact your former trade union immediately. Please notify us as well. If you come to an agreement with the trade union about the reinstatement of your membership, you must pay the missing membership fees to the union.
- If you want to continue only as a member of the Unemployment Fund for Education and Science (without being a member of the trade union), please notify us.
- Also, let us know if you do not intend to pay your missing membership fees.
Expulsion from the unemployment fund due to unpaid membership fees
The Unemployment Fund for Education and Science collects monthly membership fees which must be payed for each month when the membership is valid. The amount of membership fee varies from year to year (€4.50 / month in 2024; €5.00 / month in 2022-2023; €4.50 / month in 2021; €4.00 / month in 2020; €5.00 / month in 2019; €6.20 / month in 2018; and €7.70 / month in 2015-2017).
If you fail to pay your membership fees for more than six months, you will be expelled starting from the date on which the fees became outstanding.
Before the expulsion, you will be consulted and given an opportunity to pay the missing membership fees. For the consultation, you will receive a payment reminder on the missing membership fees or a letter of hearing with instructions on how to pay your missing membership fees.
If you do not pay the missing membership fees, we will send you a notification of the expulsion. At this point, you will still have the opportunity to pay your missing membership fees, as long as you do it before the expulsion decision becomes effective. Thus, the amounts of the missing membership fees must be in the account of the unemployment fund within 30 days after you have been notified of the expulsion decision. You are considered to have received notification of the decision seven (7) days after the date of its mailing from the fund.
After the expulsion decision becomes effective, you may no longer reinstate your membership by paying the missing membership fees to the fund.
What happens after the expulsion from the unemployment fund?
- Your membership in the Unemployment Fund for Education and Science terminates. If you are expelled due to unpaid membership fees, your membership will terminate retroactively (starting from the date on which the fees became outstanding).
- Any benefits payed by the fund will be recovered starting from the expulsion date.
- You will lose any payment period of earnings-related allowance that had started and accumulated membership and employment periods.
- When changing to another unemployment fund, the membership and employment periods are not transferred to the new fund if you were expelled from the previous fund.
Thus, expulsion from the unemployment fund may cause recovery of any benefit (such as earnings-related allowance) and loss of the right to any daily allowance even if you are a member of another unemployment fund.
If you join the unemployment fund again after the expulsion, the fund can pay earnings-related allowance only after the membership and employment conditions have been met again.
