Statutory schemes of social security (Directive 79/7)

• Author: Nousiainen, Kevat
• Pages: 51-53

51

7 Statutory schemes of social security (Directive 79/7)

7.1 General (legal) context

7.1.1 Surveys and reports on the practical difficulties linked to statutory schemes of social

security (Directive 79/7)

As explained above, the occupational (mandat ory) social security covers ‘the working

population, includ ing self-employ ed persons, workers and self-employed persons whose

activity is interrupted by illness, accident or involuntary unemployment and persons

seeking employment, and retired or invalid ated workers and self-employed persons’. The

Finnish mandatory social in surance covers old age, sickness and disability, as w ell as

family-related benefits, and both occupational and residence-based social security. When

a person who resides in Finland is not working on an employment contract, s/he does not

have a right to leave, but a right to benefit for a similar period of time as an employed

person has. Pension rights are twofold: either earnings-related (based on employment or

entrepreunial activities), or nati onal and guarantee pensions, which are meant fo r

pensioners who have no earnings-related pension or whose pension is very small.

Statutory schemes further cover persons who have no income from these sources or under

the national pension scheme, as well as persons receiving unemployment benefits. The

overall model for social security consists of rights to benefits, based either on one’s

earnings, or based on residence in Finland.

7.1.2 Other relevant issues

There are no further issues to report.

7.1.3 Overview of national acts

There are no further remarks.

7.1.4 Political and societal debate and pending legislative proposal s

There is currently no political or societal debate or pending legislation o n this issue.

7.2 Implementation of the principle of equal tr eatment for men and women in

matters of social security

The Sickness Insurance Act covers sickness and family-related benefits. Employees’

Pensions Act (945/2006) covers pension schemes for the private sector, and Pensions Act

for Public Occupations (81/2016) covers state and municipal officials’ pensions, as well as

pensions of the Lutheran Church. Sa ilors’ Pensions Act (1290/2006) contains p ension

schemes for sailors. These pension acts cover old age pensions, pensions for the disabled,

as w ell as rehabilit ation pensi ons. Under the Unemployment Security Act (1290/2002),

unemployed persons receive either basic or earnings-related unemployment allowance.

Both basic and earnings-related allowance requires that the applicant lives permanently in

Finland, has registered as an unemployed job seeker, is seeking ful l-time work, is able to

work, and has either been in paid employm ent or self-employed for a required time. The

right to earnings-related allowance further req uires that th e jobseeker has been insured

for a minimum of 26 weeks in an un employment insurance fund. The durati on of the

unemployment allowance depends on the person’s employment history.

Section 7 of the Act on Equality contains a general prohibition of discrimination on the

grounds of sex, and social security schemes fall under the material scope of the Act. There

is no remedy or compensation for a victim of discrimination in the Act on Equality,