13.10.2020

Summer Employees Once Again Name Castrén & Snellman as One of the Most Responsible Employers in a Summer Job Survey

Castrén & Snellman was once again named as one of the most responsible employers by summer employees in an annual summer job survey. C&S rose six positions up in the ranking from last year, placing forth in the category of small and medium-sized organisations.

The summer job survey is part of the Vastuullinen kesäduuni (Responsible Summer Job) campaign. The top ten summer employers are ranked each year in three different categories based on the size of company. The survey was carried out over the summer job season and covered 122 companies. The survey received a total of 6,404 responses. Employers were rated using criteria such as application process, induction, motivating tasks and fair treatment.

Our summer trainees complimented the interesting tasks and support we offer as well as our warm workplace atmosphere.

‘You always get thanks for a job well done, and the people who have worked in the company for longer make a point of saying that its always alright to ask questions and talk with them. My supervisor has been very supportive, which makes me look forward to coming to work. I enjoy the office so much that I often stop by to say hello to my colleagues even on my study days’, says Karin Hentunen, who worked as a junior trainee over the summer.

Adaliina Ollikainen was happy with the support everyone was provided in their development.

‘Trainees are brought on board for genuinely challenging work at quite an early stage, and the research work I did was greatly appreciated. I got feedback regularly and I could rely on the support of my team’, said knowledge management trainee Adaliina Ollikainen.

‘I’d like to thank all our wonderful summer employees for a great summer! The coronavirus situation meant that this was an exceptional summer in that our induction training was all virtual, which required flexibility on both sides. Despite the exceptional situation, it was important to us to try to make our traineeships as normal an experience as possible. An independent approach to work was especially important over the summer, as more of our employees were working remotely than usual. I’m happy to say that our trainees handled the situations very well’, says HR Coordinator Elina Kytömaa, who is involved in our trainee programmes.

The Vastuullinen kesäduuni campaign, driven by Oikotie Työpaikat, challenges employers to offer more summer jobs of better quality to young persons aged 14 to 29. The summer job survey is carried out by IROResearch every year.

 

Latest references

We successfully represented VR Group before the Supreme Court in a case concerning the meal break practice of commuter train drivers. On 6 February 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in VR’s favour (decision KKO:2026:12), confirming that VR had the right to amend the commuter train drivers’ meal break practice in 2021 by rendering the break unpaid in accordance with the applicable collective agreement. This decision clarifies the interpretation of collective agreements and employment legislation as well as the limits of the employer’s right to direct work. Over 250 commuter train drivers challenged the unpaid meal break practice which VR introduced in April 2021. Before the change, meal breaks had a long history of being paid. The change was based on the train drivers’ collective agreement, which allows for meal breaks to be organised either as paid or unpaid time. The Supreme Court ruled that the scheduling and managing of breaks falls within the core area of the employer’s right to direct work. This increases the threshold for an established practice becoming a binding condition for the parties. Merely following a practice consistently and over a long period of time does not make the practice binding; instead, the employer’s intent to commit to the practice must be clearly evident from the employer’s conduct or other circumstances. As both alternatives – paid and unpaid – for organising meal breaks had been retained in the collective agreement despite other amendments over the years, it could not be considered that VR had intended to commit to the paid break practice and waive its right to direct work as regards break scheduling. It was also significant that the employment contracts explicitly referred only to the collective agreement as regards working time. The Supreme Court deemed that the employees’ paid meal break was not an established term of employment and that VR was entitled to change the practice based on the collective agreement. The employer had the right, by virtue of its right to direct work, to unilaterally change the meal break practice by choosing to apply the other arrangement permitted by the collective agreement.
Case published 3.3.2026
We are assisting CapMan Growth in its significant investment in Kuntokeskus Liikku, a Finnish gym chain known for its high-quality self-service facilities and excellent value for money. The investment will further strengthen Liikku’s position as a market leader and support the continued execution of its growth strategy. Liikku is one of Finland’s leading fitness chains, with more than 70 locations across the country serving nearly 90,000 members. The company’s concept is to offer high-quality self-service gyms at an exceptionally competitive price point which, combined with strong operational efficiency, provides a solid foundation for profitable growth. The company’s main shareholder is COR Group, a long-time partner of CapMan Growth, and a Finnish health and wellness conglomerate known for active ownership and long-term value creation. CapMan Growth is a leading Finnish growth investor that makes significant investments in entrepreneur-led growth companies with a turnover of €10–200 million. CapMan Growth is part of CapMan, which is a leading Nordic private equity investor engaged in active value creation work. CapMan has been listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange since 2001.
Case published 27.2.2026
Castrén & Snellman successfully assisted Terrafame Ltd in environmental and water management permit processes concerning the company’s entire operations and the KL1 side rock area, on which the Supreme Administrative Court issued its decision on 12 February 2026 (KHO 366/2026 and 367/2026). The changes made to the decisions of the Vaasa Administrative Court as a result of Terrafame’s appeals, enable the company to implement its new strategy and develop its operations as planned. The decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court brought the nearly ten-year-long permit process to a close.
Case published 20.2.2026
We advised Plastep Oy and its shareholders in the sale of the entire share capital of the company to FinnProfiles Oy. The acquisition strengthens FinnProfiles’ position as a Nordic expert in sealing and insulation solutions and expands the company’s expertise in the manufacture of plastic products and technical components. Plastep, founded in 2001 and based in South Savo, is a contract manufacturer specialising in the design and production of demanding and technical plastic components, with a turnover of EUR 6.5 million.
Case published 18.2.2026