Akava - Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland

Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland, is a trade union confederation for those with university, professional or other high-level education.

Akava is continuously growing

Akava has more than 30 affiliates with altogether half a million unionised members working as employees, entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals in either the public or private sector. The members join one of Akava’s affiliates based on their field of study, degree, profession or position.

The members of all Akava affiliates typically serve in management or expert positions in fields such as education, technology or medicine. Additionally, Akava has 100,000 student members.

In Finland, approximately 70 per cent of all highly educated citizens are members of one of Akava’s affiliates. Further information

Current issues

21.05.2013 FIOH's new survey: Quality of working life in Finland has improved

Working life in Finland has taken a turn for the better in the last three years according to a general study on Finnish working life, published a week ago by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health FIOH. The study is based on telephone interviews with some 3,000 people and is conducted every three years.

15.05.2013 Outsourcing redundancy is becoming a business

Recent measures taken by Nokia have prompted many people to ask whether it is using other companies to do its dirty work when it comes to firing employees. "There is a pattern where employees are outsourced with some part of the business to another company, which will then quickly fire them on the grounds of re-organising production. One has to ask whether redundancy has become a business", says Maria Löfgren, director at Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff.

06.05.2013 Finnish union confederations: EU has to respect the freedom of collective bargaining

Experts from the three union confederations in Finland (Akava, SAK, STTK) have delivered harsh criticism to the European Union for repeatedly breaching the freedom of collective bargaining. They refer to recent cases where the European Commission has intervened in the bargaining procedures in Romania, Greece, Spain, Ireland and Italy and weakened the position of unions.

29.04.2013 A new study: How agency labour became accepted practice

The hiring of temporary labour (agency labour) gained acceptance and a sense of legitimacy back in the 1990’s when Finland was going through a period of severe recession. This form of employment, which had shown a marked increase at that point, was seen in the media first and foremost as a solution to the problem of high unemployment.

23.04.2013 SASK campaigns with Amnesty Finland for trade union rights

The Trade union solidarity centre of Finland SASK is campaigning alongside the Finnish section of Amnesty International for trade union rights. The new campaign got underway on Monday 22nd April and focuses on the situation in Colombia.

19.04.2013 Foreign owners make their presence felt in the Finnish paper industry

Some 40 paper, paperboard and pulp factories in Finland are now owned by foreign companies. The problems facing the traditionally strong Finnish paper industry together with major investments by Finnish forest industry companies abroad have provided an opening for new investors in Finland itself.

Opiskelijat Akaverkko

Basic facts

Akava is a politically independent trade union confederation for those with a university, professional or other high level education
Half of the membership works in the private sector, half in the public sector.
Also those with high-level education join a trade union in Finland. More than 80 percent of Akava members have completed at least the lower university degree.
The members join one of Akava’s affiliates based on their field of study, degree, profession or position.
Unionisation has a long tradition in Finland, and it is normal for employees to belong to trade unions in Finland. Approximately 75 per cent of Finnish employees are members of a trade union.
In Finland, labour market organisations have a great deal of influence. Negotiations on salaries, wages and labour legislation are conducted between the government and the representatives of employees and employers organisations, which is referred to as the tripartite system.
Freedom of organisation is a statutory right in Finland. No-one can be coerced to join a union. Employment may not be terminated on the basis of membership in a trade union.
Membership in an Akava affiliate is not dependent on a specific workplace. If you change jobs, you can continue your membership in an Akava affiliate.

Akava - Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland

Akava is continuously growing

Basic facts

More information

Overview on Akava

A Glance at Akava

Information on working life