On behalf of its members TEK negotiates and concludes collective agreements concerning salaries and conditions of employment in industry and in the service and public sectors. TEK is involved in professional, educational and social matters related to work, employment and the careers of its members at regional, national and international levels. TEK also promotes technology for the benefit of people, the environment and society.

Akava Special Branches is an organisation that represents the interests of people who work in specialist and supervisory positions in culture, administration and business life. Our union comprises 25 independent member associations with over 26,000 members, and we are still growing. We recommend you join while still a student.

Akava's General Group (AYR) aims to promote its members' social, economic, occupational and educational benefits. With its actions AYR also wants to promote the cohesion and unity of the highly educated people. AYR's goal is to enforce its members' wages/salaries and other benefits up to date and to correct possible shortcomings. Akava General Group is an inexpensive route to an organized trade union activity and it is a responsible and reliable trustee of its members' interests.

Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) is a non-profit, professional organization. The primary aim of all SAFA activities is to promote the quality of the built environment. At the national level, SAFA endeavours to influence legislation by presenting SAFA opinion in the form of statements and conducting discussions with politicians and various public authorities. Together with other organizations in the building sector, SAFA has defined the scope of work for architectural design. It also supervises professional standards and ethics among its members. SAFA has about approximately 3 100 members. This accounts for approx 80 % of all Finnish architects with a university degree. Membership is voluntary, and is not a condition for practising the profession. In Finland no registration is required. SAFA has also approximately 600 student members.

FUURT is a trade union for researchers, teachers and other academic experts who are employed by universities and reserch institutions. Union members are primarily organised into local associations on the basis of sharing the same workplace - instead of a shared professional field. Over half of members are employed on a fixedterm basis and a large share also work under a grant time to time. Individuals can join FUURT through one of its member associations.

SEFE, The Finnish Association of Business School Graduates, is a central organization for graduates - and students - in economics and business administration in Finland. It has more than 47,000 individual members. The association consists of 25 regional associations and 14 student societies. SEFE is the fourth biggest affiliate of Akava – the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland.

Social Science Professionals (Yhteiskunta-alan korkeakoulutetut ry) is a labour market organisation for employees, graduates and students in public or private sector or NGOs. The association is an affiliate of the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava). A typical training background for members is a university degree in political or social science, administration, humanities or pedagogics. Our membership already exceeds 11 500, and the number of members is rising steadily.

The trade union Talentia promotes and protects the professional and wage interests of 22 000 social welfare professionals. Talentia is affiliated to Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals. Talentia's objectives Talentia's core task is to ensure that its members are able to pursue rewarding professional careers. To fulfil this task, Talentia has set clear objectives for its activities. These objectives are: - to ensure that the salaries of Talentia's members are commensurate with their educational level, the demanding nature of their work, and the level of responsibility it involves; - to create working conditions that enable Talentia's members to enjoy their work and avoid exhaustion; - to contribute to the evolution of society in line with the principles of social justice and solidarity; - to attain recognition of the fact that social welfare expertise is needed in decision-making; - to promote the graduation of competent professionals who obtain jobs that

The Association of Finnish Lawyers seeks to promote the economic and social interests of lawyers, develop professional skills and maintain a high standard of professional ethics. The Association was established in 1944 by Finland's seven leading lawyers' associations, which sought to create a body which would promote the professional interests of all lawyers.

The Finnish Pharmacists' Association is a trade and professional union for professionals in the field of pharmacy, i.e. dispensers, pharmacists and students of pharmacy, with comprehensive services to further the members' economic and professional interests. The Association has been promoting the working conditions, professional skills and social position of its members since 1917. With nearly 9,000 members today, it is a credible player in both professional and economic decision-making processes.

The Finnish Psychological Association is an organization for Finnish psychologists. There are approximately 5 500 licensed psychologists in Finland. About 90 per cent of them are members of The Association. In addition, there are hundreds of students of psychology who are members as well. The total number of members in the Association is currently 6100. The Finnish Psychological Association is an advocate for the professional, financial and social benefits for psychologists. Its goal is also to inform society about psychology and to increase the use of psychology as a science.

FUEP represents the interests of its members in professional, financial, educational and societal matters. FUEP is an affiliate of AKAVA (The Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland). FUEP brings environmental professionals together. FUEP emphasises the professional ability and expertise of its members in environmental field. FUEP aims at enhancing environmental expertise in decision making processes.

LAL, the Finnish Union of Experts in Science, is a union for all professionals who have obtained a higher education degree in science. The Union's aim is to protect and improve the financial, professional and social interests of its members and to promote the employment of its members' professional skills in different social sectors. The Union has 7 600 members from different branches of science: chemists, biochemists, biologists and geneticists, amongst others. Our members represent over 400 different job titles and are employed in all sectors - in public and private as well as university. 30 % of graduated members have also licentiate or doctor's degree.

The Finnish Union of University Professors (FUUP) is a labour market organisation which also serves as a channel for common professional interests of its members. Membership in the Union is open to persons who are permanently or temporarily holding professor´s post at Finnish universities or corresponding positions at research institution. The Union furthers financial, social and other empioyment-related interests of its members. It also seeks to sustain and enhance the status and high esteem of its members and advance their professional and scientific endeavours. lt also concludes labour contracts and collective bargaining agreements on behalf of its members. The Union promotes measures to improve the conditions for scientific research and higher education and forwards interactivity between the research community and the society as a whole.

The purpose of the association is to act as a link between its members and to promote veterinary science and the practice of veterinary medicine in Finland and to care for the professional, societal, commercial and social interests of veterinarians and their joint aspirations. The Finnish Veterinary Association engages in publishing and supports research into veterinary science, organizes talks, lectures and other educational events and annual veterinary seminars.

The Institute Officers Union of the Finnish Defence Forces and the Border Guard (Päällystöliitto ry) is a registered association whose members are largely employees of the Ministry of Defence as well as the Ministry for Interior Affairs. The union has 58 joint associations, which represent national defence, border control and international crisis management sections. The union has approximately 4500 members. The union is a member of AKAVA The Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland. The union is also a member of the European Organisation of Military Associations EUROMIL and also participates in the Nordisk Officers Allians NOA activities. The union was founded in 1929 as a registered association and was earlier known as the Non-commissioned officers union and before this as the duty officers union.

The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland (UIL) safeguards its members’ interests. It has 70,000 members in its 30 regional and 6 national membership organizations. UIL’s members are engineers, engineering students as well as other experts in the engineering and the information sector. UIL safeguards its members’ interests on the labour market and influences the labour market. UIL offers its members expert services related to working life, e.g. advice on employment and pay issues, support for career planning and extensive membership benefits.

SMKJ, the Union of Sales and Marketing Professionals, is a non-political organization of over 27,000 members. promoting the interests of all professionals working in sales, marketing or purchasing. We at SMKJ offer out members support and security in work life and its changes together with a wide variety of training events. Our membership services cover, among other things, legal expenses insurance and earnings-related protection against unemployment. You can find a description of all our membership advantages here.

The trade union work begun in Finland in 1893 and OAJ was founded on December 28, 1973. Today the membership is 119 564 (1.1.2011). OAJ's highest decision-making body is the Council, meetings are held twice a year. Between Council meetings, the executive board, lead by president Mr. Olli Luukkainen, is the decision-making body. OAJ's central office and 11 regional offices serve the member associations, elected officials and teacher members. OAJ also provides its members several advantages and benefits e.g. the services of elected officials and the OAJ advice and consultation services, membership in Teachers' Unemployment Benefit Fund, various insurance benefits, the Opettaja -magazine as well as holiday and recreation services.