Should I apply for Uusi polku? - www.pau.fi

Should I apply for Uusi polku?

During the co-operation negotiations of mail distribution, mail handling and administration, an opportunity to apply for the Uusi polku -programme of Posti might be presented. Before applying there are a few things to consider. Contact the shop steward in your work place for more information.

Entering the Uusi polku means that you must resign from your work and this has consequences regarding the unemployment legislation:

• Register as a job seeker with a TE Office as soon as you become unemployed. You will lose the right to earnings-related allowance if you withdraw yourself from the labour market for more than six months without an acceptable reason.
• Financial benefits, such as Uusi polku, paid by your employer at the end of your employment, defer the payment of your earnings-related allowance for a specified number of days, based on the daily pay in your last job. The deferral period is approximately 3 – 6 months. Earnings-related allowance can’t be paid during the deferral period.  Due to leaving your employment relationship voluntarily a waiting period of 90 days will be issued by the TE Office. The waiting period will pass at the same time with the deferral period.
• You can calculate the amount of your earnings-related allowance with the online allowance calculator at www.pautk.fi or at www.tyj.fi.
• If you undertake employment promotion measures, you may be entitled to the increased earnings-related component for 200 days.
• Persons under 25 years of age should check their right to the unemployment benefits in case of entering Uusi polku. If you don’t have any vocational training, you must check which obligations there are to apply for training in order not to lose your right to the unemployment benefits. The right to the unemployment benefits might be lost even though the membership condition of the unemployment fund is met.  
• You may be eligible for an extended earnings-related allowance if you were born in 1957 or later and reach the age of 61 before exhausting your maximum 500 days of payment period. In practice this means that when your employment relationship ends, you must be at least 59 years and 1 month of age. You must have also been working for at least five years during the past 20 years.
• As an unemployed jobseeker you must accept work offered by the TE Office which might mean that you return to work for Posti as a temporary agency worker. 

Uusi Polku and hourly paid employees

• Uusi Polku -benefit is calculated based on your salary for the last six months before your employment relationship ended.
• To find out about the payment or the amount of the earnings-related or the adjusted earnings-related allowance, contact the PAU unemployment fund.

Uusi Polku and the part-time pensions admitted until the beginning of 2017

• Uusi Polku -benefit is paid according to full-time working hours.
• The part-time pension will end because the employment relationship will end.                            
• The earnings-related allowance is calculated based on your full-time work before your part-time pension.
• The deferral period of Uusi polku -benefit is approximately 3–6 months. Earnings-related allowance can’t be paid during the deferral period. 

Uusi polku and partial disability pension

• Uusi polku -benefit is paid according to the salary in your work contract.
• The paying of the partial disability pension will continue.
• Uusi polku-benefit will be deferred according to the full-time salary before the beginning of the partial disability pension.
• The earnings-related allowance is calculated based on the full-time work before the partial disability pension. The partial disability pension will be reduced from the earnings-related allowance.

Uusi polku and taxation

• Get a revised tax card so that the salary department won’t withhold taxes according to your previous monthly percentage + additional percentage.
• Apply for income equalization from the tax authorities for the Uusi polku -benefit.

Uusi polku -benefit, calculated based on your established pay

• Time of service maximum 5 years = 3 months’ salary
• Over 5 years – 10 years = 4 months’ salary
• Over 10 years = 6 months’ salary

As a comparison, the term of notice in the situation of financial and production grounds for termination of employment

• Maximum 1 year = 14 days
• Over 1 year – 4 years = 1 month
• Over 4 years – 8 years = 2 months
• Over 8 years – 12 years = 4 months
• Over 12 years = 6 months

Other things to consider

• In your last salary you will be paid remaining holidays as holiday compensation, remaining deferred time off and remaining flexible time off.
• Uusi polku -benefit doesn’t accrue pension.
• As Uusi polku is a contract between the employee and the employer, you can negotiate a preferred time for the term of notice. However, according to the Uusi polku -rules, the employment relationship must end within 3 months after the employee has been informed that they are accepted to the Uusi polku -programme.
• The employer is not obligated to hire you back because you have voluntarily resigned.
• An employee whose employment relationship is in effect on 15 June is paid a holiday bonus.
• Consider carefully before applying for the Uusi polku -programme if you don’t have a plan for the future: extended earnings-related allowance, pension, training for a new occupation, new job.