Tips for recommending a membership

The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland is part of Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland, which is a trade union confederation for those with university, professional or other high-level education with 36 affiliates. Akava’s unions consist of approximately 611,000 members, of which approximately 116,000 are student members. The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland is Akava’s third largest membership organization with more than 70,000 members. In addition to Engineers, it also includes experts in the IT industry, actors in the gaming industry, clerical employees in the railway industry, national land surveying professionals and municipal clerical employees in the rescue service sector, and, of course, engineering students. More information about the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland.

Several conditions affecting the employee’s position are drafted in more detail in collective agreements than legislation. The law defines the minimum conditions for employment relationships that are not covered by a collective agreement. The law guarantees many rights, but a number of conditions affecting the position of the employee have been drafter in more detail in collective agreements than legislation.

These include mileage allowances for working hours, holiday bonuses, annual general salary increases, paid family leaves and 1–2 months’ sick pay. Read more on the topic on the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff YTN’s website.

Engineering graduates, technical experts, and those working as a managerial employee in engineering-level tasks may join the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland. IT sector employees, game industry employees, and engineering entrepreneurs are also welcome to join the union.

Terms and conditions of the membership may vary depending on the membership organization. Would you like to know more about who can join the Union?

Union and fund membership costs approximately EUR 20 per month

You are always part of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland through a membership organization. The membership fee of the union consists of the union fee and membership organization fee that varies depending on the organization. The union’s membership fee (union fee + membership organization fee) is fixed and set in euros, which means that earned income does not affect the fee. You can easily join KOKO unemployment fund membership to the union membership if you are in employment.

The union and KOKO unemployment fund memberships total approximately EUR 35 per month. The fee is tax deductible, and after the deductions, the fee decreases to approximately EUR 20 per month. The union and fund membership fee can be paid as a lump sum once a year or easily in smaller installments once a month as an e-invoice.

The Union membership fee is flexible when the member’s life situation changes. A member can apply for a membership fee discount if they have no salary for at least one full calendar month, or if they have a particularly low income, are abroad, or studying full-time. The member will reap the benefits of all union services and benefits regardless of the life situation. Learn more about the discounts.

Membership of the Union includes the possibility to obtain legal counseling, assistance in settlement negotiations and, when necessary, legal assistance in a court of law in labor law disputes related to a member’s employment or service relationship. The legal assistance provided by the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland is free for members and financially risk-free in legal proceedings instituted by the Union.

If someone outside the union seeks legal counseling services for an employment relationship dispute from an external service provider, the cost of an initial assessment already totals EUR 349. Learn more about legal assistance for union members.

You should use salary counseling tools if you are about to make a salary request when applying for a new job, are calculating an appropriate salary level when your job changes, or feel that your current salary is lagging behind the average salary level. Comparing your own earnings to others in similar positions gives you a clearer picture of your own salary level.

Salary statistics. Annually, the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland publishes Salary statistics that are based on the salary data of thousands of engineers and technical experts. The statistics are available on the Member pages, and the 16-page print publication will be delivered with the February Insinööri magazine. The salary statistics are available to members on the Member pages throughout the year. The research data is only distributed to the members of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland.

Salary counter. When a member fills in the fields for a job position and employer data in addition to the year of graduation in the salary counter on the Member pages, they receive a salary estimate based on the information entered. The figures in the salary counter are based on statistical models calculated from the Union’s labor market survey data. The background material for the salary counter is updated annually. The service is only available to members and requires login.

The Union has taken out an insurance package for its members with Turva, which includes non-occupational traveler’s, accident, luggage, travel liability, and legal expenses travel insurance. For example, traveler’s insurance for a trip lasting more than a month, including luggage insurance, would cost EUR 160 if purchased separately. A union member is always equipped with a valid traveler’s insurance. Learn more about the insurance package.

Union members can get a Danske Bank housing loan without delivery or handling fees. For example, you can save EUR 1,200 on a loan of EUR 200,000. On top of this, a member gets a lower margin on the loan and installment-free periods without fees. Learn more about member banking services.

The Union has an agreement with the Eversheds Law office regarding a telephone advice line that helps members in legal matters regarding their private lives. The service itself is free of charge and also applies to family members living in the same household as the member. You can ask for advice on, for example, inheritances and wills, prenuptial agreements, partitions, and gifts.

The Union organizes professional training and webinar coaching and provides career support for job seekers. In addition to the Union’s training courses, the union provides training from reputable training companies. The majority of the courses are completely free for members. For example, a one-day project management training would cost EUR 850, if purchased directly from the company. Read more about training organized by the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland.

The Union specializes in the career coaching of experts in the field of technology. Some of the coaching is organized as webinars that can be viewed later in the Webinar recording archive. All tips strive to make the applicant’s application great and the job seeker to succeed also in a video interview. The Union also offers personal counseling. The KOKO unemployment fund takes care of the member’s financial security during the period of unemployment. Learn more about unemployment.

The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland and its membership organizations have their own rental cottages, most of which can be rented to members up to 30–50% cheaper than the listed price. Akava members can also rent cottages from other affiliates through a joint membership service. The selection of holiday apartments varies from Northern ski resorts to coastal scenery in the South.

Insinööri is a 52-page membership magazine published by the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland six times a year. It follows topics that are important to the Union members. News about technology, working life, education, politics, and economics. In addition, the magazine features the results of studies related to its members and information about the union activities. Insinööri magazine can also be read online.