Employment rights
Employment rights are regulated by law or specified in the contract with the employer.
Academics with an employment contract have the right to six weeks´ paid holiday a year. The stipulation of holiday must be agreed upon in advance.
New Year´s Day
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Prayer day
Ascension day
Whit Sunday
National Flag day (April 25th)
Constitution day (June 5th) - ½ day
St. Olaf’s eve (July 28th) - ½ day
St. Olaf’s day (July 29th)
Christmas eve (December 24th)
Christmas day (December 25th)
Boxing day (December 26th)
New Year’s dve (December 31st)
An employee with a fixed monthly salary has the right to paid leave from work if he or she is unable to work due to illness. The employer can demand to see a doctor´s certificate, though usually not before a week´s period of illness.
Academics with a fixed monthly salary have the right to 2 days of paid absence from work if his or her child is taken ill. The total number of days absent from work due to children´s illness cannot exceed 10 days a year for each child.
Parents are entitled to 46 weeks of paid leave when having a child.
Academic employees are entitled to normal salary from their employer for 28 weeks when having a child. After that they can receive benefit from the Parental Leave Fund.
The mother has the right to paid leave from 4 weeks before childbirth until 14 weeks after birth. The father has the right to paid leave for four weeks after childbirth.
After the first 14 weeks after birth the parents can divide 28 more weeks of paid leave between them as they wish.
After the paid leave, the mother or the father has the right to unpaid leave until 52 weeks after the birth of the child.
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Faroese employers are obliged to insure all employees against work related injuries. The employee or his or her next of kin is entitled to compensation in case of injury, disease or death in connection with carrying out work.
Employees who have a Faroese retirement pension are normally supplementary insured against consequences of disability, serious disease and death.
Most employees in the Faroe Islands are members of a trade union. Trade unions have extensive rights in respect of negotiations with employers and their organisations.
Central wage contracts are made between trade unions and employer organisations.
Trade unions also maintain the professional interests of their members at their place of work.
The main trade unions for researchers are:
Faroese Union of Academics (in Faroese)
Faroese Union of Economists and Legal Advisors (in Faroese)