Section 2
Conditions of membership
To become a member a person must be under the purview of unemployment legislation, have
- a qualification in engineering or structural architecture from a technical college or university of applied sciences, or a Bachelor of Business Administration qualification from a university of applied sciences
- a qualification from a university of technology or commerce
- a qualification in pharmacy or a Master of Science degree in mathematics/science subjects
- a qualification in social work or higher level qualification in social work
- a qualification in the same field that is the equivalent of these, or comparable to them or higher or
- he or she must work in the same fields in his/her capacity as senior employee, manager or specialist,
and be an employee who has not reached the age of 68 years and otherwise meet the fund rules.
In addition, those in employment relationship while studying for these professions may become members, taking into account the provisions of the Unemployment Security Act and the Unemployment Funds Act.
A salaried employee is a wage-earner whose livelihood is considered to rely on paid income for work done for someone else.
A member of the fund cannot be a member of another unemployment fund at the same time.
A written application to join the fund must be made either to the fund manager or to a representative appointed by the Board. Membership is accepted by the Fund Manager or a representative appointed by the Board.
Membership of the fund starts at the earliest from the day on which the application has been received.
Section 3
Resigning from the fund
If a member wants to resign from the fund, he/she should advise the fund manager or representative appointed by the Board in writing. The resignation comes into effect earliest from the day on which the notice has been received or from a later date notified in the notice.
Membership of the unemployment fund terminates automatically by the end of the calendar month in which the member reaches the age of 68.
Section 4
Expulsion from the fund
Having consulted the member concerned, the fund manager shall bring it to the member’s attention, or issue a warning or expel him/her from the fund if:
- the member has provided false or misleading information when applying to join,
- the member has lied about or concealed something that affects receipt of a benefit for which the fund is responsible, or its amount
or - the member refuses to comply with the fund’s rules or the instructions issued by the fund’s Board.
If a member fails to pay his/her membership fees as ordered by the Board for a calendar year, the fund manager may expel him/her from the fund, the expulsion taking effect from the beginning of the calendar year from which the fees are outstanding.
A member who has become an entrepreneur may retain membership of the unemployment fund for a maximum period of 18 months from the time the enterprise begins.
A fund manager may expel a member who no longer meets the conditions in accordance with section 2 for membership.
If a member is dissatisfied with the fund manager’s decision or with otherwise being expelled from the fund, he/she may bring the matter before the Board.
Section 5
Abuse of unemployment security
Repealed
Section 6
Rejoining
If a member who has resigned from the fund joins another fund within a month, his/her previous time in employment and time as a member of the previous fund are credited, as provided in the Unemployment Security Act and the Unemployment Funds Act.
If a member who has been expelled from the fund is accepted once again as a member, his/her previous time in employment which has built up or his/her previous time as an unemployment fund member in the fund is not credited, nor the membership fees he/she paid previously.
Section 7
Membership fees
The membership fee is confirmed by the Financial Supervisory Authority and paid yearly.
The fee must be paid in the manner and on the date specified by the Board.
A member who has resigned or been expelled has no right to any reimbursement of fees paid to the fund that fall upon the membership time preceding resignation or expulsion.
If a person joins the fund, resigns, or is expelled from the fund in the middle of a calendar year, the membership fee is equivalent with the amount of calendar months as a member of the yearly fee. Return of the membership fee that falls upon time when the membership has not been valid, will be done upon a written request by the person. The request must be done to the fund within 3 months of resignation or lawful expulsion decision.
Any membership fee arrears may be deducted from benefits paid by the fund under these rules.
Section 8
Waiver of membership fees
A member cannot be exempt from membership fees.