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Trade
Unions in Finland
Dispute
Resolution in Finland
Which
Finnish Trade Union to Join?
Main
Finnish Trade Union Confederations
Rights
& Responsibilities of Finnish Employees
Other
Sites of Interest
Trade
Unions in Finland
See also The ABC of Finnish Trade Unions (PDF - a nice introductory guide in English/Estonian/Russian)
Approximately 80% of Finns are members
of a trade union. The International Labour Organisation
(ILO) recently ranked Finnish unions as amongst the
most effective in the world.
The main purpose of a union is to safeguard
and improve the benefits and rights of its members.
This includes, for example, income development, employment
security, and quality of work life.
In Finland an important function of
trade unions is to run unemployment funds and to provide
earnings-related unemployment benefits. These are typically
much higher than the basic unemployment allowance provided
by KELA (see Social
Security). Many would argue that this is the primary
reason for joining a union, and you should certainly
enquire about joining an unemployment fund as soon as
you start a new job.
Finnish unions are occupation-based.
There are three main levels: Local trade unions, national
federations of member local unions, and confederations
which are the peak organisations made up of affiliated
federations. Collective agreements covering the whole
of Finland are concluded between the federations.
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Dispute Resolution
in Finland
If you find yourself involved in a
potential dispute with your employer, ask your shop
steward (your union's representative in the workplace)
for advice. If you don't know or can't reach the shop
steward, contact your union and ask them how to proceed.
If you are a member of a union you
will almost certainly be working under a collective
agreement detailing certain terms and conditions of
your employment. If disagreements arise at the workplace
regarding a collective agreement or its interpretation,
or if it appears that the agreement may have been broken,
dispute resolution usually begins with negotiations
at the workplace. Most collective agreements provide
a grievance procedure for the settlement of disputes
concerning the application of the agreement in question.
If the matter cannot be solved between
the employees and employer, negotiations will then continue
between the employer and the shop steward representing
the trade union.
If the negotiations still don’t
produce a solution, the matter will be forwarded to
be negotiated between the employer and the wage and
salary earners’ unions.
If no solution can be found at this
level, either one of the unions may take the matter
to the Labour Court.
Legal labour disputes that do
not concern collective agreements can be taken
to public courts.
See also:
Ministry of Labour's publication Industrial Relations and Labour Legislation in Finland
(PDF, 06/2006)
Ministry of Labour's Web site: Labour Legislation (information & employment-related Acts)
Expat Finland's Employment
Law & Disputes
| Can't read PDF's? |
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Which
Finnish Trade Union to Join?
Given that employers
would probably be happy for you to join the weakest
union, they are not the first people to ask! When you
start your new job, ask colleagues (or friends) who
are in the same field which union(s) they are members
of, and if they are happy with the service they are
receiving. The answer will probably be clear.
You could also search the sites of
the confederations below, and isolate which of their
affiliated unions sounds right for you. Ask around and
look on the Web for any "reviews" of that
union which might be available.
A list of all Finnish unions
affiliated with the confederations below, plus their
contact details, is included in the publication
Guide
for Foreigners Working in Finland (English / Russian
/ Estonian)
See also The ABC of Finnish Trade Unions (English/Estonian/Russian)
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Main
Finnish Trade Union Confederations
In the Finnish private sector the most
important confederations are SAK, STTK and AKAVA - it's
not unlikely that you will join a union affiliated with
one of these.
SAK - Central Organisation of Finnish
Trade Unions
SAK is the biggest labour market organisation
in Finland, representing the interests of over a million
wage-earners. The 23 member trade unions of SAK represent
workers in a range of sectors including industry, private
services, local government, the state and transport.
Go
to SAK's site
STTK - The Finnish Confederation
of Salaried Employees
21 affiliated unions representing approximately
650 000 professional employees. Sectors include industry,
private services, local and regional government and
the State. Among the members are nurses, technical engineers,
police officers, secretaries, institute officers and
salesmen.
Go
to STTK's site
STTK's
Guide for Foreigners Working in Finland (English
/ Russian / Estonian)
AKAVA - Confederation of Unions
for Academic Professionals in Finland
Trade union confederation for those
with university, professional or other high-level education,
formed by 31 affiliates and with about 400 000 members
and with 80% unionisation rate. Members work as experts
and educators.
Go
to AKAVA's site
A list of all
unions affiliated with these confederations,
plus their contact details, is included in the publication
Guide
for Foreigners Working in Finland (English / Russian
/ Estonian)
See also The ABC of Finnish Trade Unions (a nice guide in English/Estonian/Russian)
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Rights
& Responsibilities of Finnish Employees
Employment Contract
A written employment contract is usually
signed between employer and employee, and is highly
desirous. A good contract should clearly state the details
and scope of the job in question, including working
hours, salary, benefits, incremental pay rises, pay
days etc.
In Finland it is common to negotiate
terms and conditions to be included in the contract,
but any such terms must never be below the standard
of the terms and conditions already set in the collective
agreement negotiated by your union.. If you discover
you have accepted terms and conditions worse than those
in the collective agreement you can claim compensation.
Contact your union.
More information: Finnish Employment
Contract
Employee Rights
- salary in accordance with the collective labour
agreement or the collective bargaining contract
- protection, which is provided for in law and in
agreements
- right to belong to a union
- a healthy and safe working environment
Employee Responsibilities:
- perform their tasks carefully
- follow the supervisors’ instructions
- refuse to take part in activities that are in direct
competition with those of the employer
- keep business and professional secrets confidential
- observe the benefit of the employer
- abide by the agreed working hours
*Tip: Find out how many days you can be off sick before
your employer requires a doctor’s note.
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