Provisions regarding working hours and annual holidays are part of the protection of employees’ working hours. These provisions are issues under the Working Hours Act, which is a general act applicable to both private and public sector employment. Other provisions on working hours can be found in legislation including the Seamen’s Working Hours Act, the Act on Working Hours on Vessels in Domestic Traffic, the Council Regulation on driving times and rest periods in road traffic, the Young Workers’ Act and the Act on the Employment of Household Workers.

Working hours legislation applies to all employment and civil service relationships, unless otherwise prescribed. The Working Hours Act contains provisions on issues including the concept of working hours, the reference periods for working hours, rest periods, work schedules, additional work and overtime, the employer obligation to maintain a working hours register, maximum amounts of overtime, remuneration payable for additional work, overtime and Sunday work as well as compensation for derogations from weekly free time.

Excluding certain cases, the Annual Holidays Act applies to both private and public sector employment. It lays down provisions on annual holiday rights: the length of the annual holiday, holiday pay, holiday compensation and the timing of the annual holiday.

Employers must grant employees a holiday lasting up to 24 business days, i.e. summer holiday, during the holiday season following the holiday credit year between 2 May and 30 September, inclusive. The winter holiday, i.e. the part of the holiday that exceeds 24 business days, must be granted after the summer holiday season and before the beginning of the next holiday season. In practice, fairly extensive stipulations on working hours and annual holidays – within the authorisations provided under these acts – are made under collective agreements.