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Trade Unions & Employee Representation in Finland

Trade Unions in Finland
Dispute Resolution in Finland
Which Finnish Trade Union to Join?
Main Finnish Trade Union Confederations
Rights & Responsibilities of Finnish Employees
Publications & Further Information
Other Sites of Interest


Trade Unions in Finland

Approximately 80% of Finns are members of a trade union. The International Labour organization (ILO) has 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 organizations 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
Ministry Of Employment And The Economy home page, then > In English > Work > Labour Legislation
Expat Finland's Employment Law & Disputes section

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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

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Main Finnish Trade Union Confederations

In Finland 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 organization of Finnish Trade Unions

SAK is the oldest employee confederation in Finland, founded in 1907. It represents more than one million members in 21 affiliated trade unions. Members are from industry, the public sector, transport and private services. You cannot really define a "typical" member; local authority childminders, flight attendants, bus drivers, waiters, builders and paper mill employees are all working in sectors organized under the broad SAK umbrella.

Go to SAK's site (English/Finnish/Swedish/German/French/Spanish/Estonian/Russian/Polish)

STTK - The Finnish Confederation of Professionals

Trade union confederation formed by 20 affiliated unions representing approximately 640 000 professional employees. Members are from the public sector, private industry and the private service sector. Nearly 70 % of members are women. Typical member groups include nurses, technical engineers, police officers and secretaries.

Go to STTK's site (English/Finnish/Swedish)

AKAVA - Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland

Trade union confederation for those with university, professional or other high-level education. Akava is formed by 34 affiliates, and has about 548 000 members, with 70% unionisation rate. Members work as experts and educators, for example, and Akava affiliates are also open to all university students and most Polytechnic students.

Go to AKAVA's site (English/Finnish/Swedish)

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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 on sick leave before your employer requires a doctor’s note.

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Publications and Further Information

What Every Employee Should Know
The three labour confederations in Finland, STTK, FFC and AKAVA have jointly published the introductory guide to the Finnish Trade Union Movement, What Every Employee Should Know. It contains general information on the Finnish labour union movement as well as the benefits and rights which workers have in Finland.

PDF: Available in 4 languages: English  Estonian  Russian  Finnish

Trade Union News
Finnish journalist Juhani Artto provides a comprehensive roundup of Finnish trade union news at his web site, in English.
Visit Trade Union News

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Other Sites of Interest
YTK Unemployment Fund: Finland's largest unemployment fund
PAM - Service Union United 2nd largest union in Finland - services sector
OAJ - Trade Union of Education: > In English. Representing teachers in all levels of education
Tehy The Union of Health & Social Care Professionals
SuPer: The Finnish Union of Practical Nurses
Ministry Of Employment & The Economy:   > In English > Work > Labour Legislation. Includes downloadable PDF Acts (Employment Contracts Act, Non-Discrimination Act, Act on Mediation in Labour Disputes, and more)