“Without the labor union, I might not be working at Posti anymore.”
Samuel started as a mail carrier with fixed-term contract in February 2019 at the Käpylä distribution workplace. The workplace had a relaxed atmosphere and a positive environment. Athletic Samuel quickly learned his delivery route and covered parts of other routes as well. Co-workers provided positive feedback on his performance at work.
The constant changes at Posti led to the relocation of the Käpylä workplace to the Postikeskus Pallohalli in October 2019. At the same time, the potential transfer of package sorters to a lower-cost collective agreement sparked the threat of a strike.
The shop steward and the occupational safety and health officer approached Samuel to discuss the fairness of his salary, basic task/professional task, given that he delivered mail on multiple routes. They encouraged Samuel to become a member of the Finnish Post and Logistics Union PAU, but at that time, he chose not to join.
Samuel’s previous experience with the general unemployment fund YTK at another workplace had proven to be futile as he did not receive any assistance, support, or guidance concerning the illegal termination of employment. “The harder you work, the better things work out for you, does not really seem to be true,” Samuel states.
Amidst the chaos, the head shop steward made a visit to Pallohalli. After chatting with the head shop steward, Samuel decided to join PAU. Samuel felt that he received a friendly invitation to join the union and thought that if he intends to continue working at Posti, it would be better to join PAU.
With the help of the union, Samuel applied for a retroactive payment of the professional task salary for a period of two months. With his labor union membership, his earnings would also be protected in the event of a potential future strike.
In February 2020, after several fixed-term contracts, Samuel received a permanent part-time employment contract. The justification for this was the silent extension of the contract and the transition of his role into a permanent-like position.
Samuel believes that with the assistance of the labor union, many issues that would have otherwise gone unnoticed have been resolved. For instance, during the part-time contract, there were fewer work hours planned for the 12-week averaging cycle than stated in the employment contract. When this was noticed, the missing hours were demanded to be paid. Errors were also found in the payment during sick leave and layoffs, which were subsequently rectified.
There seems to be something new and unexpected arising in the work-life rules continuously. The awareness of the rights has grown, but there is still much to learn. This knowledge doesn’t cause additional distress; instead, it leads to a more fulfilling life – physically, mentally, and socially.
On January 1, 2023, Samuel received a full-time permanent employment contract from Postikeskus. He has recently gained valuable knowledge regarding the duration of paid sick leave, sick leave bonus and the interpretation of reasons for sick leave. While resolving these matters, Samuel downloaded the employer-provided employee benefit, E-passi, following the advice of PAU advocacy experts. He also familiarized himself with the benefits available to PAU members.
Samuel encourages everyone to join the labor union. Merely assuming that one’s wages are always correct can lead to a significant amount of unpaid income accumulating over time.