When work is interrupted due to freezing temperatures – weather delay and daily allowance

Topics

• Income security

If you are affected by weather restrictions, you can apply for earnings-related daily allowance as a member of the fund. Weather restrictions refer to a situation where you work in the construction or forestry industry and your work is prevented due to freezing temperatures. Another prerequisite is that your employer is not obliged to pay you wages or other compensation under the Employment Contracts Act.

The frost limit, at which weather conditions are considered to be adverse, is determined in the construction industry on a site-specific basis before work begins. Similarly, in the forestry sector, a frost limit can be set in advance if necessary, at which point working outdoors cannot reasonably be required.

A weather restriction day always lasts for a full day. In order for us to pay you earnings-related daily allowance, your employer must have reduced your salary in a manner that corresponds to the reduction in your working hours.

Here’s what to do

If you work full-time and your weekly working hours have been reduced by one or more days per week due to weather restrictions, you can apply for earnings-related daily allowance for these days when you were completely unemployed. When calculating the amount of the allowance, we do not take into account the salary you have received for the days you have worked.

A weather restriction day off may also apply to you if you work a reduced working week. In that case, you can apply for full unemployment allowance for the weather restriction day off and for other days when you are completely unemployed.

If you are affected by bad weather, you can apply for adjusted daily allowance if:

• you work part-time

• you work shorter days due to layoffs

• your employment relationship is full-time fixed-term work lasting no more than two weeks
   

Remember that even in the event of weather-related obstacles, you must register as an unemployed jobseeker with the TE Services so that we can pay you earnings-related daily allowance. Inform the employment authority that the obstacle is weather-related.

Please also note that if you are applying for earnings-related daily allowance for the first time or your working condition has been met again, we will apply a seven-day waiting period to the payment of daily allowance in accordance with normal practice.