The ordinary autumn union meeting of the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers took place in Kirkkonummi on 27 November and decided on two significant issues that improve member services: membership fee reform and the founding of an industrial action and legal protection fund.
In 2022, the membership fee will be decreased and standardised so that the membership fee of an employed member will be 1 per cent of their gross salary, regardless of their member association. The standardised membership fee should make paying the membership fee easier and clearer. The union meeting also decided that the maximum membership fee shall be 600 euros.* The lower membership fee of members without earned income will not be raised. The union meeting thought it important that the membership fee would continue to adhere to the principle of solidarity, traditionally held in high esteem by trade associations, whereby high-income members pay a larger membership fee than low-income members.
The Union will also continue to develop its services in order to bring even more added value to its members.There has been a significant increase in training provided as a member benefit, and the legal protection benefits of members will be improved as of the beginning of next year.
The goal of FUURT is for the cost level of the Union’s membership fees as well as the service quality and accessibility to guarantee the Union the number one spot as the most tempting trade association in the university sector. This would allow the Union to further strengthen its position as an impactful supervisor of interests in science policy and spokesperson for research information.
The union meeting approved the 2022 action plan and budget and elected the Union Board for the upcoming term. The meeting was conducted in hybrid form, with the majority of union meeting representatives present and some participating remotely.