The Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability when Work is Contracted Out
Helsinki Shipyard complies with the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability when Work is Contracted Out. The Act aims at preventing “grey”, or undeclared, economy, and its purpose is to promote equal competition between companies as well as compliance with terms of employment. The Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI) for Southern Finland is the body that monitors compliance with the Act in Finland.
The Act applies to contractors that in Finland use temporary agency workers; or at whose premises or work site in Finland there is an employee working who is in the service of an employer that has a subcontract with the contractor.
Before entering into a contract on the use of a temporary agency worker or on work based on a subcontract, the contractor has the obligation to check that their contracting partners fulfill their legal obligations as contracting party and employer. This means that the contractor (Helsinki Shipyard) must request, and the contracting partner must provide, documents and certificates defined in the Act that are no older than three (3) months. For the list of documents and certificates, and for further information, please follow the link:
Act on the contractor’s obligations and liability ›
Helsinki Shipyard recommends that its partners join Vastuu Group’s Reliable Partner 2.0 service, where the documents and certificates required by the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability are available in one always up-to-date report. With the help of reliable data, the service enables better and more sustainable cooperation between different stakeholders and makes the everyday life of companies easier and more efficient. The service is currently available for Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Swedish companies.
Light Entrepreneurship
Light entrepreneurship (kevytyrittäjyys in Finnish) is prohibited at Helsinki Shipyard. The prohibition applies to working as a light entrepreneur at the shipyard on behalf of both Helsinki Shipyard’s direct contractual partners and the entire subcontracting chain.
Because current Finnish legislation does not recognize light entrepreneurship, light entrepreneurs work from a legal point of view either in an employment relationship or as an entrepreneur. By prohibiting the use of light entrepreneurs at its shipyard, Helsinki Shipyard wants to avoid legally ambiguous situations and aims to minimize the risks of labour exploitation and prevent the non-fulfilment of legal obligations in its subcontracting chain. At the same time, Helsinki Shipyard wants to ensure occupational safety for everyone working at the shipyard.
Finnish tax number
In Finland, a tax number is mandatory for everyone who works at a shipbuilding site (shipyard) and the tax number must be entered into the public register of tax numbers maintained by the Tax Administration.
Finnish employees can see their tax number on the tax card or in MyTax. The tax number can be entered into the public register of tax numbers by the employee or his or her Finnish employer.
How to enter your tax number into the tax number register in MyTax – vero.fi
Foreign employees must have a Finnish personal ID before they can get a tax number. To apply for a personal ID and a tax number, and to get the tax number entered into the public register of tax numbers, the employee must make an appointment for visiting the tax office. The processing time, on the condition that all the information and documents are made available to the Tax Administration, is normally from 1 to 3 business days. Read more about how to apply for a Finnish tax number on the website of the Tax Administration:
Safety Cards
Everyone working at Helsinki Shipyard is required to have a valid Occupational Safety Card approved by TTK (The Centre for Occupational Safety).
Hot workers are also required to have a valid Hot Work Card approved by SPEK (The Finnish National Rescue Association). Electrical workers are also required to have a valid Electrical Work Safety Card (SFS 6002 standard) and emergency first aid training for electrical work.
The safety cards are personal and can be obtained by completing one-day training courses and a written test (online courses also available).
HSE (Health, Security, Environment) Orientation
HSE orientation organized by Helsinki Shipyard is mandatory for everyone coming to work at the shipyard. The orientation must take place within two (2) weeks of starting the work. Orientations in Finnish, English or Russian are arranged according to the shipyard’s training calendar. For other languages, the subcontractor can agree in advance with the instructor on the use of their own interpreter. Helsinki Shipyard’s HSE orientation for subcontractors’ employees is valid for two (2) years.
Shipyard’s Permit Office
The identity documents, tax numbers, safety cards and possible work permits of subcontractors’ employees are inspected, and access permits are issued at the shipyard’s permit office. An appointment must be made for visiting the permit office before starting to work at the shipyard.