Connecting to my working community in Finland

Matea Radešić, HUART Member & Doctoral Researcher

Vappu isn’t just a Finnish celebration. 1st May is known around the world as International Workers Day. To celebrate the diversity of our international membership, we asked our international members to share the importance of joining a union in Finland and how unions in Finland compared to our ‘home countries’ – but in our mother tongues. We have created a selection of blogs in a variety of languages.

You can read Matea’s story in Croatian. Scroll down for the English translation.

Povezivanje s mojom radnom zajednicom u Finskoj

Prije tri godine, 2023., preselila sam se u Finsku i zaposlila kao doktorandica na Sveučilištu u Helsinkiju. Među prvim savjetima koje su mi dali kolege bilo je pridruživanje sindikatu. Kao strankinja koja tada nije dobro poznavala društvenu i radnu kulturu Finske, uzela sam taj savjet zdravo za gotovo i pridružila se sindikatu istraživača i nastavnika Sveučilišta u Helsinkiju u kolovozu 2023.

U početku mi je bilo jasno da članstvo uključuje i članstvo u fondu za nezaposlenost, što mi se činilo kao glavni, ako ne i jedini konkretan benefit. Međutim, tek sam kasnije počela shvaćati da sindikati u Finskoj imaju puno širu ulogu i da djeluju na razinama koje mi u početku uopće nisu bile vidljive. Tijekom 2025. počela sam aktivnije pratiti njihove aktivnosti, čitati njihove materijale i sudjelovati na sastancima. U tom procesu često sam si postavljala pitanje: zašto zapravo plaćam tih 1 % svoje plaće i što konkretno dobivam zauzvrat? Paralelno s tim, pokušavala sam razumjeti što je točno kolektivni ugovor i kako utječe na moj svakodnevni rad. Tada sam shvatila koliko mi je cijelo područje sindikata do tada bilo nepoznato.

Moje početno nerazumijevanje nije neobično ako se uzme u obzir kontekst iz kojeg dolazim. U Hrvatskoj se sindikati još uvijek često percipiraju kroz prizmu nasljeđa socijalističkog sustava, u kojem su bili dio državnog aparata. Iako su danas sindikati nezavisni i imaju važnu ulogu u zastupanju radnika, ta percepcija i dalje utječe na razinu povjerenja i interesa za članstvo. Danas su sindikati posebno popularni u javnom sektoru gdje pokrivaju pojedine struke i profesije, dok u privatnom sektoru sindikati postoje za pojedinačne tvrtke, te imaju znatno manje utjecaja kao i članova. Nažalost, sindikati u Hrvatskoj suočavaju se s padom broja članova i relativno slabim utjecajem na zakonodavne procese. Sveukupno, procjenjuje se da je oko 20 % radne snage učlanjeno u sindikate, što dodatno ograničava njihovu pregovaračku moć i vidljivost u javnom prostoru.

U Finskoj je situacija bitno drukčija. Oko 60 % radne snage je učlanjeno u sindikate, što im daje znatno veću snagu i legitimitet. Sindikati ovdje imaju snažnu i institucionaliziranu ulogu na tržištu rada te aktivno sudjeluju u oblikovanju radnih uvjeta na razini cijelih sektora. Kroz pregovore s poslodavcima i u suradnji s državom, oni definiraju kolektivne ugovore koji određuju minimalne plaće, radno vrijeme, dodatke na plaću i druge ključne uvjete rada. Važno je naglasiti da se ti ugovori primjenjuju na sve zaposlene u određenom sektoru, bez obzira na to jesu li članovi sindikata ili ne. Time sindikati ne štite samo svoje članove, nego radnike općenito, što dodatno učvršćuje njihovu društvenu ulogu.

Organizacijski gledano, sustavi u Hrvatskoj i Finskoj imaju određene sličnosti. U Finskoj se sindikati udružuju u tri glavne konfederacije, slično kao sindikalne središnjice u Hrvatskoj. Helsinška sveučilišna udruga istraživača i nastavnika dio je takve strukture: djeluje kao lokalni ogranak Sindikata istraživačkih stručnjaka, koji pak pripada nacionalnoj konfederaciji AKAVA. Ta konfederacija zastupa visokoobrazovane radnike i znanstvenike na nacionalnoj razini te sudjeluje u širim pregovorima i društvenim raspravama o radu, obrazovanju i znanosti. Ovakva višerazinska organizacija omogućuje da se interesi pojedinaca prenose od lokalne razine sve do nacionalnih politika.

Iz perspektive člana, najvažniji i najkonkretniji rezultat sindikalnog djelovanja jest kolektivni ugovor. Riječ je o sporazumu između sindikata i poslodavaca koji definira minimalne uvjete rada, uključujući plaću, radno vrijeme, godišnji odmor, bolovanje i druge aspekte zaposlenja. Taj dokument oblikuje svakodnevne radne uvjete i postavlja granice unutar kojih se individualni ugovori mogu kretati. Drugim riječima, kolektivni ugovor predstavlja temelj sigurnosti i predvidljivosti u radnom odnosu.

Osim pregovaranja kolektivnih ugovora, sindikati svojim članovima pružaju širok spektar usluga. To uključuje pravnu i savjetodavnu podršku u pitanjima vezanim uz zapošljavanje, poput ugovora na određeno vrijeme, uvjeta financiranja istraživanja, autorskih prava, etike istraživanja te pitanja jednakosti i nediskriminacije. U praksi to znači da članovi imaju kome obratiti se u situacijama nesigurnosti ili potencijalnog konflikta. Na razini radnog mjesta, ta podrška često dolazi kroz sindikalne predstavnike, koji su prvi kontakt i važna poveznica između zaposlenika i šire sindikalne strukture.

Uz to, članstvo uključuje i niz konkretnih benefita koji nisu uvijek odmah vidljivi, ali dugoročno imaju značajnu vrijednost. To može uključivati različite oblike osiguranja, povlaštene financijske proizvode poput stambenih kredita, kao i popuste na različite usluge. Iako ti benefiti sami po sebi možda nisu glavni razlog učlanjenja, oni dodatno potvrđuju praktičnu dimenziju sindikalnog članstva.

Posebno važnu ulogu sindikati imaju za strance i međunarodne zaposlenike. Dolazak u novu zemlju često podrazumijeva suočavanje s nepoznatim zakonima, administrativnim procedurama i nepisanim pravilima radnog okruženja. U takvim okolnostima lako je previdjeti vlastita prava ili pristati na uvjete koji nisu u potpunosti jasni. Sindikati u tom smislu djeluju kao važan izvor informacija i sigurnosti. Oni nude savjete, edukativne materijale i pravnu podršku, čime pomažu pojedincima da bolje razumiju svoj položaj i donose informirane odluke.

Za doktorande i postdoktorande, koji su često zaposleni na vremenski ograničenim projektima i ovise o vanjskom financiranju, ova podrška može biti posebno važna. Nesigurnost vezana uz trajanje ugovora, uvjete rada i buduće mogućnosti zapošljavanja čini ih ranjivijom skupinom, a sindikat u tom kontekstu može igrati ključnu ulogu u osiguravanju transparentnosti i pravednijih uvjeta.

Moje osobno iskustvo sa sindikatom vrlo je pozitivno. S vremenom sam počela aktivnije sudjelovati u njegovim aktivnostima, prisustvovati sastancima i uključivati se u inicijative na kampusu. Kroz to sam ne samo bolje razumjela kako sindikat funkcionira, nego sam se i osjećala povezanije s radnom zajednicom. Posebno mi je važno što sindikat djeluje i na engleskom jeziku, što omogućuje aktivno sudjelovanje međunarodnih članova. Time se stvara otvorena, inkluzivna i doista međunarodna zajednica u kojoj se različita iskustva i perspektive mogu čuti i uzeti u obzir.

Gledajući unatrag, mogu reći da je članstvo u sindikatu za mene prešlo put od formalnosti do svjesnog izbora. Ono što je na početku bilo nešto što sam učinila jer su mi drugi preporučili, s vremenom je postalo važan dio mog profesionalnog života i razumijevanja radnog okruženja u kojem djelujem.

Connecting to my working community in Finland

Three years ago, in 2023, I moved to Finland and started working as a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. One of the first pieces of advice I received from colleagues was to join a trade union. As a foreigner who at the time was not yet familiar with Finnish social and work culture, I took this advice and joined the Union of Research Professionals in August 2023.

At first, I understood that membership included access to an unemployment fund, which seemed like the main, if not the only, tangible benefit. However, over time I began to realise that trade unions in Finland play a much broader role and operate on many levels that were not immediately visible to me. During 2025, I started following their activities more closely, reading their materials, and attending meetings. In that process, I often found myself asking: why am I paying this 1% of my salary to the union, and what do I actually get in return? At the same time, I was trying to understand what a collective agreement really is and how it shapes my everyday work. That was when I realised how unfamiliar the whole area had been to me and how much I had taken it for granted.

This initial lack of understanding is not unusual given the context I come from. In Croatia, trade unions are still often associated with the legacy of the socialist system, in which they functioned as part of the state apparatus. Although today unions in Croatia are independent and play an important role in representing workers in negotiations over collective agreements, rights, wages, and pensions, this perception still affects public trust and interest in membership. 

Nowadays Croatian unions are popular mostly among workers in the public sector, uniting workers from the same profession. In the private sector, unions are organized at the company level, resulting in much lower membership and consequently limited influence on decision-making. Unfortunately, all unions in Croatia face declining membership and relatively limited influence on legislative processes. In total, it is estimated that around 20% of the workforce is unionised, which further constrains their bargaining power and public visibility.

In Finland, the situation is quite different. Around 60% of employees are union members, giving unions significantly greater strength and legitimacy. They play a central and institutionalised role in the labour market and actively participate in shaping working conditions across entire sectors. Through negotiations with employers and in cooperation with the state, they establish collective agreements that define minimum wages, working hours, bonuses, and other key employment conditions. Importantly, these agreements apply to all employees within a sector, regardless of whether they are union members or not. In this way, unions do not only protect their members, but the whole workforce, which further reinforces their societal role.

From an organisational perspective, there are some similarities between the systems in Croatia and Finland. In Finland, unions are grouped into three main confederations, similar to union federations in Croatia. The Helsinki University Association for Researchers and Teachers is part of such a structure: it operates as a local branch of the Union of Research Professionals, which in turn belongs to a national confederation representing highly educated employees and academics (AKAVA). This multi-level organisation allows individual concerns to be channelled from the local workplace all the way to national-level discussions and policymaking.

From a member’s perspective, the most important and tangible outcome of union activity is the collective agreement. This is a contract between unions and employer organisations that defines minimum employment conditions, including salary, working hours, annual leave, sick leave, and other aspects of employment. In other words, it shapes everyday working conditions and sets the boundaries within which individual contracts are negotiated, providing a foundation of security and predictability in employment relationships.

Beyond collective bargaining, unions also provide a wide range of services to their members. These include legal and advisory support on employment-related issues such as fixed-term contracts, research funding conditions, authorship rights, research ethics, and matters of equality and non-discrimination. In practice, this means that members have someone to turn to in situations of uncertainty or potential conflict. At the workplace level, this support is often provided through shop stewards, who act as the first point of contact and an important link between employees and the broader union structure.

Membership also comes with a number of practical benefits that may not be immediately obvious but have long-term value. These can include various types of insurance, loan benefits, and discounts on different services. While these perks may not be the primary reason for joining, they add an additional layer of practical value to union membership.

Trade unions are particularly important for international employees. Moving to a new country often means navigating unfamiliar laws, administrative systems, and unwritten workplace norms. 

In such situations, it is easy to overlook one’s rights or accept unclear or unfavourable working conditions. Unions act as a key source of information and security, offering advice, guidance, and legal support that help individuals better understand their position and make informed decisions.

For doctoral researchers and postdoctoral scholars, who are often employed on fixed-term contracts and dependent on external funding, this support can be especially valuable. The uncertainty surrounding contract duration, working conditions, and future employment prospects makes them a more vulnerable group, and unions can play a crucial role in ensuring transparency and fair treatment.

My personal experience with union membership has been very positive. Over time, I have become more actively involved by attending meetings and participating in initiatives on my campus. Through this, I have not only gained a better understanding of how unions function, but also felt more connected to my working community. It is particularly important to me that my union operates in English as well, which makes participation accessible to international members. This creates an open, inclusive, and genuinely international community in which diverse perspectives can be heard and taken into account.

Looking back, I can say that my union membership has evolved from a formality into a conscious choice. What I initially did because it was recommended to me has gradually become an important part of my professional life and my understanding of the working environment in which I operate.