University of Turku Researchers, Teachers and Lecturers (TURTLE)

Turun yliopiston tieteentekijät

At more than fifty years of age, TURTLE (in Finnish: Turun tieteentekijät ry., TuT) has around 900 members. This makes us the largest organization for personnel at the University of Turku and the second largest member organization of the Finnish union of university researchers and teachers (FUURT) (in Finnish Tieteentekijöiden liitto). Via the union we are connected to AKAVA, Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland. TURTLE handles matters relating to joining the union and local safeguarding of interests. If you need assistance with the unemployment benefit fund and membership benefits, you are instructed to contact the Helsinki main office.

Our most important channel of communication is email. We send email to members to the addresses stored in the union’s membership register, so please remember to keep your contact information up to date in the FUURT E-Services on the web site. You can also follow us in Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tieteentekijat. TURTLE continues to supervise your interests! Our goal is to ensure that the University of Turku will be a high quality multidisciplinary scientific university also in the future!

We continue to struggle so that:

OUR MEMBERS HAVE SECURE EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS AND A SALARY THAT IS IN LINE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE VACANCY.

TURTLE IN SHORT

  • University of Turku Researchers, Teachers and Lecturers (TURTLE) is the local member organisation of the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers at the University of Turku.
  • TURTLE is the biggest organisation for the University of Turku personnel
  • TURTLE has the widest network of shop stewards (scroll down to University of Turku) at the University of Turku
  • TURTLE represents University personnel with a variety of titles from all faculties and Turku School of Economics

As a member of TURTLE, you will have the following benefits

  • Supervision of interests and advice
    • Safeguarding of interests in the labor market
    • Advice on issues concerning the terms of employment
    • Advice on issues concerning salaries
  • Legal advice
  • The support of an unemployment benefit fund; read more about unemployment security at the FUURT pages.
  • Insurance services
    • Liability and legal protection insurance
    • Accident and travel insurance paid by the union; see FUURT website for details
    • Opportunity to join special group insurance policies; see FUURT website for details
    • Opportunity to take out a pension insurance policy for researchers with scholarships
  • Other benefits:
    • Regular issues of the union journal, Acatiimi
    • Many benefits like the Akava calendar, gas station discounts, travel agency discounts, holiday opportunities, discounts with ferry lines and so on. See FUURT website for details.

JOINING TURTLE

Everyone working as a lecturer, researcher, university teacher or at any other position at the University of Turku can join TURTLE. We welcome students as well!

The membership fee covers membership of the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers, and of the Unemployment benefit fund. Membership fees can be paid either directly by the employer from the salary (by written authorisation of the member) or by bank transfer (instructions for this are sent by FUURT).

To join, you need to fill in the electronic membership form available at the FUURT web site. If you wish for your membership fee to be automatically deducted from your salary, please also fill in the authorization form. Note! Even if you use the electronic form for joining, you still need to fill in the authorization form on paper for automatic deduction.

In the payment details section of the authorization form, you need to enter 181/014 as the Union/local branch number and 1.00 % as the Basis of amount. If you work at the University of Turku, please send the filled-in authorization form to the salary office by email to HR-ict(a)utu.fi or by internal mail to ”HR-ICT team, Main Building”. The contact person in the HR-ICT team is Heli Suomi. If you do not work at the University of Turku, send the form to the salary office of your employer If you do not work at the University of Turku, send the form to the salary office of yor employer.

The board of TURTLE will approve the membership application. Membership at the Unemployment Fund cannot be backdated. Membership begins from the day the applicant has signed the application form.

Membership fee

The membership fees are:

  • 1,0% of gross income (max. 600 eur per year)
  • 8 eur/month for scholarship holders
  • 8 eur/month for those members who are on maternity, paternity, or parental leave or on child care absence; who are doing their national service, or who are unemployed or students.

Since the membership fee is collected on a monthly basis, the unemployment benefits ensured by this membership (i.e. membership in the Unemployment benefit fund) will only be valid from the beginning of the month after you joined the Union. In case your fee is deducted directly from the salary by written authorization, the union will give you instructions on paying the first month’s fee. If you do not receive such instructions, please contact the union member services at jasenpalvelu(a)tieteentekijoidenliitto.fi directly.

If you are a scholarship holder, on maternity, paternity, or parental leave or on child care absence, an unemployed student member, etc., your membership fee is 8 eur per month. Please check the FUURT membership fee page for up-to-date information and details about payments and benefits.