When you receive an order to attend a refresher training exercise

A refresher training exercise is an obligation as stated in the Act on Conscription (28.12.2007/1438)! 

The aim is to send the exercise order approximately six months prior to exercise start to give you time for getting your civilian life matters in order.

If you have received the orders for attending a refresher training exercise in less than three (3) months, you are not obliged to attend the exercise in accordance with the Act on Conscription (1438/2007), Section 32, subparagraph 2, unless you have given permission to waive the time limit. However, you still need to contact the Regional Office that sent the order to be on the safe side. Being absent without leave is a punishable offence by law (Chapter 45, Section 9 of the Criminal Code).

Before the exercise you need to be in contact with your employer or unemployment allowance payer. Please establish this contact immediately after receiving the order. The refresher training exercise qualify as a ground for being absent from work, and you are entitled to getting time off to attend the exercise. The employment contract or civil service tenure of a person attending a refresher training exercise cannot be terminated while in service. Additional information is available at tem.fi/maanpuolustusvelvollisen-tyosuhdeturva.

Please consult your employer or union representative to figure out how exactly your reservist salary affects your regular salary. As the outcome depends on your given employment or collective bargaining contract, the FDF may not be able to provide you detailed information on these salary-related questions. For an unemployed person, the refresher training exercise will not result in a waiting period in the paying of the unemployment benefit. 

When ordered to a refresher training exercise you can apply for income support for your family in your home municipality’s Social Insurance Institution of Kela.

If you need any supplementary assistance, you can apply for conscript allowance, which comprises housing allowance and pays for the student loan interest due.  More information on the conscript allowance is available at the Social Insurance Institution site of Kela.

In case a refresher training exercise becomes canceled and this leads you to financial losses, please primarily contact your employer and union shop steward. The salary paid during a refresher training exercise remains a matter that is agreed between the employer and the employee. However, if you deem that an issue relating to your salary concerns a settlement of damages based on the civil liability of the state, you can seek compensation from the State Treasury. For more information, please see Compensation based on state liability - Valtiokonttori