As a teacher and researcher, your working time is more flexible
The universities’ collective agreement contains terms on the total working time for teaching and research staff. Thus, as a teacher or researcher you are not covered by the Working Hours Act. The justification is that the work in universities’ teaching and research roles is independent. In addition, the law guarantees university employees’ freedom of research, artistic expression and teaching.
The collective agreement sets annual working time at 1,612 hours. Each teacher and researcher draws up an annual work plan based on this number in collaboration with his or her supervisor. This work plan includes your workload in teaching, research and other tasks. Caps are set for contact teaching hours. You are personally responsible for your working time and how you spend it on the tasks in your work plan.
Your work plan should reflect longer absences that could have an impact on its content . If you agree on a new role in the middle of the academic year that cannot be considered compatible with the tasks in your work plan, the work plan must be changed in this respect. If you conduct more teaching than you are supposed to under the work plan, you are entitled to specific compensation in return.
In the new university collective agreement for 2025–2028, work plans play a large role in managing workload. Monitor your working hours and tell your supervisor about any changes. Changes can then be made to your work plan with support for your occupational well-being in mind.
The new collective agreement introduces workplace-specific bargaining about the principles of work plans. The ways universities implement work plans reflect the value of workplace-specific bargaining. JUKO shop stewards negotiate university-specific implementation and agreements.
