Interior Ministry to let employees work one day a year for voluntary organisation
Ritva Viljanen
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All civil servants of the Ministry of the Interior are to be allowed one paid day off a year to do volunteer work.
Ritva Viljanen, Chief of Staff at the ministry, says that each civil servant will be allowed to put in a day's work on behalf of any volunteer organisation. She said that she is waiting for one-day job offers herself.
According to Viljanen, authorising a day for volunteer or charity work was not an easy administrative task.
Before a decision could be made, there was much discussion about compensation for possible work-related accidents.
In the spring of 2005 the Ministry of the Interior set up a working group to draw up a list of principles on promoting civic involvement in the activities of the ministry.
On the basis of the work of the group, the Ministry of the Interior drew up a strategy for civic organisations for 2006 and 2007.
Viljanen says that boosting opportunities for citizens to participate and have an influence on events is one of the goals of the development of administration.
She notes that the constitution obliges government to promote the possibilities of the citizens to take part in social activities, and to influence decisions that affect them.
Viljanen hopes that one aim of encouraging volunteer work is to promote civil servants' knowledge of the work of civic organisations, and direct contacts with non-governmental organisations. The aim is also to emphasise the importance of voluntary and charity work.
Under the guidelines, a civil servant who takes a day off for volunteer work must not accept any payment for the activity. The work should also take place in the official's own community, but not at the person's own work place.
the civil servant's main employer is not to incur any costs other than the salary of the employee.
The work for volunteer or charitable organisation should not involve any commercial activities, and work must not lead to any conflicts of interest.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 26.4.2007 - TODAY |
 Interior Ministry to let employees work one day a year for voluntary organisation |
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