Trade unions

[aguinness]

I am about to start a new job on 1.1.09 as Sales Manager in an engineering company, what union would you recommend and why, Or just suitable unions I can look up. thanks.

[ChubbyPoacher]

http://www.smkj.fi/portaali/fi/smkj/toi ... 5_2009.php

[raamv]

Nice on that Chubby!!
Also check this out:
http://www.expat-finland.com/employment/unions.html
and
http://www.sttk.fi/en-GB/unions/

[Pursuivant]

if you haven't made up your mind, you can join into the YTK and look around and feel, if theres like a local chapter with some benefits... some places have active ones, some less. anyways the idea ia you belong to the unemployment fund since day !, and you can transfer the continuity...

[Karhunkoski]

Yup and IIRC, YTK is x-amount per year, whether you join on 1.1 or 30.12....so perhaps it suits you to begin with.

[Pursuivant]

well no its "calendar year" if you join 30.12 you pay for 2008 for that one day, so I said "day one" meaning the first of the month in January.

[Karhunkoski]

We are saying the same thing.

I am suggesting that starting a new job on the 1.1 (and obviously joining the fund on the same day, didn't know you could join an unemployment fund before you actually employed?), best suits YTK as you pay x-amount per (each) year.

[CatNip]

You can find general info at http://www.sttk.fi/File/8a1ba995-10ca-4 ... nglish.pdf.

The is three labour confederations in Finland; STKK, AKAVA and SAK.

Best thing is to compare the benefits different unions are offering compared to YTK. If you are seeking only only unemployement benefits, then YTK might be the best.

Trade unions are offering for example free legal assistance for their members. Finns are typically selecting the union depending on their profession or the field you are study.

[aguinness]

Thanks guys, I´ll check them out, been out of the country for few days, I have been a member of PAM for many years so I will only be moving to another which suits the industry I will work in. Thanks again, PS I brought back 24 Walkers salt n vinegar

[Karhunkoski]

Be careful when transferring, perhaps even let your PAM run over a few weeks until you're sure the new union fund it set up and that all is in order...

You probably know how it works by now, if someone does some official paperwork late, and you lose the continuation of unemployment fund payments, you may get little more than a shrug.