Finland has one of the highest rates of union membership in the industrialised world, with 80 per cent of employees organised in trade unions. With 76 trade unions organised into three central confederations, there is a union for every employee regardless of line of work, type of employment or status in the enterprise.
Trade union members pay membership dues to their unions, in return for which they enjoy such benefits as contractual security, training, legal aid and leisure-time services. Employers often set off trade union dues from the wages of organised employees and pay them directly to the union. Organised employees are also usually members of an unemployment benefit fund for their various industries. Such membership entitles the employee to earnings-related benefit in case of unemployment.
- three central employee confederations
- 76 trade unions
- more than two million union members
