Union of Professional Engineers in Finland

Union of Professional Engineers in Finland (UIL) promotes the intrests of engineers, engineering students and other experts of technical field. Through its member organisations, UIL’s total membership is approximately 70,000. UIL comprises thirty regional branches and five national branches through which engineers and other experts of technical field belong to the union 

UIL has a central office in Helsinki and regional offices situated in Oulu, Pori, Jyväskylä, Tampere, and Mikkeli. UIL belongs to the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland (Akava).

The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland (UIL) promotes the interests of its members and is a responsible leader of social opinion. The union provides security and opportunities for success as well as first class services to its members.

Approximately 87 % of the members of UIL work in the private sector and 13 % in the public sector. The members work in responsible expert and management duties in industry, engineering and consulting engineering offices, service sector and public sector.

UIL negotiates for its members the collective agreements in private and public sectors as a member of the Federation of Professional and Managerial Employees YTN, Akava’s Public Sector Negotiating Commission JUKO and Technics and Health KTN. Approx. 85% of members working in the private sector are covered by collective agreements, while in the public sector the coverage of collective agreements is 100%.

Examples of member benefits and services

Collective agreements in private and public sectors:
A collective agreement is an agreement defining benefits to the employees more extensively than what is stipulated in legislation, e.g. sick pay, overtime compensations, compensations for travel expenses etc.

UIL makes collective agreements through the Federation of Professional and Managerial Employees YTN, the Confederation of Employees in Technical and Health Professions KTN and Akava’s Public Sector Negotiating Commission JUKO.

Shop steward:
The shop steward represents the personnel of a workplace in all employment-related matters as well as in issues relating to the application of collective agreements in private and public sectors. The members are represented at workplaces by the shop stewards of YTN, KTN and JUKO. The union steward at your workplace helps you in matters regarding employment relationships. The shop steward is the closest support of a member at the workplace. The shop steward has the capability to help members in dispute and negotiation situations at the workplace.

Advice on employment relationships in private and public sectors:
The members of the member organisations of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland can get help in questions relating to employment relationships and social security from the union’s lawyer, employment relationship advisers and the advisers at the regional offices.

Legal services:
The work-related legal services of UIL offers instructions for, among other things, making an employment contract, interpreting the employment contract, unemployment security issues, settling disputes at workplaces and, as necessary, participates in negotiations.

Legal expenses and liability insurance:
Members have, on certain conditions, a valid professional legal expenses insurance provided by the union. It compensates primarily for court expenses and attorney’s fees in civil and criminal cases arising from the employment relationship. The professional liability insurance covers any liabilities to compensate damages.

Unemployment fund:
When joining the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland, wage earner members announce whether they also want to join the IAET unemployment fund. Entrepreneur members can join the Unemployment Fund for Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed, the AYT Fund.
 
The unemployment fund pays the member an earnings-related unemployment allowance during the unemployment, training allowance during the unemployed member’s self-motivated education, training subsidy during labour market adult training, as well as job alternation allowance during job alternation leave.

Salary advice:
Salary advice is a popular form of member services. Members can use the Palkkanosturi tool on the members’ website or they can get personal salary advice from UIL’s research team. Salary advice is based on UIL’s annual job market survey and other sources of information.

Labour exchange:
Our own labour exchange for engineers, Insinööripörssi, is at the disposal of all our members. Engineer job announcements can be browsed and explored on the members’ website.

Career services:
The union’s career management services are at the disposal of all members. Members can get, according to their needs and career situation, personal career advice and help for job seeking.

Free-time insurance:
An important member benefit is the free-time travel insurance which is in force all year round and makes sure the members do not need to separately take their own insurance policies for their free-time travels. The insurance is in force during leisure travels to a distance of at least 50 kilometres from the insured’s apartment, workplace or place of studies or leisure apartment.

The free-time travel insurance includes a luggage insurance, a traveller’s insurance, a travel liability insurance and a legal expenses travel insurance. In addition, the members can make use of a free-time accident insurance. The free-time insurance policies are in force up to the end of the year during which the member turns 70. 

Contact:
If you want to join or get more information about Union of Professional Engineers in Finland, please contact Membership register
tel +358 201 801 801 or email asiakaspalveluuil.fi