Trade Union JHL unites the professionals working in municipalities, for the Finnish state and in private welfare services, and the students of these sectors.
Members
Approximately 165,000, out of which 70% are women
Local branches
About 500
Shop stewards
About 8,000
Occupational titles
About 950
Membership fee of trade union and unemployment fund
1% (in 2022)
Collective agreements
About 100
Union Council
JHL’s Union Council has 120 representatives. Agreement sector for municipalities: 80 representatives, private agreement sector: 35, agreement sector for the state: 4, agreement sector for the church: 1 representative. The Union Council’s term of office is five years.
Executive Committee
JHL’s Executive Committee consists of the union’s president, chief executive officer and 23 members.
Offices
Central office in Helsinki
8 regional offices and their local offices
Organisational member unions
- Finnish Non-Commissioned Officers’ (NCOs’) Union
- Border Security Union
- Finnish Customs Officers’ Union
- Finnish Prison Officers’ Union
Presentation of organisational member unions (in Finnish)
Public services
… are services provided by the Finnish state and municipalities. These services include health services, schools, research institutions, police, road maintenance, day care, services for the elderly, office and library services.
Private welfare services
… are services provided with tax revenues, but by private actors. These services include private health and social services, organisations’ care for alcohol and drug abusers, services provided by private vocational schools, sports organisations’ activities, agricultural sector and guidance sector services. In addition, universities and higher education institutions are private services nowadays.
History of JHL in brief
JHL was founded on 22 November 2005. When the trade unions providing public services became merged, one objective was to strengthen the negotiation positions in various agreement sectors and at various levels of negotiation, especially in the private welfare service sector that was continuously growing. Another objective was to increase advocacy in society. Clearer guidelines for becoming organised and maintaining high-quality member services were considered to be two important factors.
The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL was founded by the SAK-affiliated public-sector unions Municipal Workers’ Union, State and Special Employees’ Union and Joint Organisation of State Employees. When JHL was founded, the unions that joined JHL as organisational members were the Coastguard Union, the Finnish Customs Officers’ Union and the Finnish Prison Officers’ Union.
The Municipal Workers’ Union, founded in 1931, was Finland’s largest trade union in the public sector. The majority of employees producing municipal services were members of the Municipal Workers’ Union.
The State and Special Employees’ Union (founded in 1929) united employees working for the Finnish state, its institutions and limited companies, in addition to employees working in private-sector health and social services.
The Finnish Non-Commissioned Officers’ (NCOs’) Union became JHL’s organisational member in 2008.
In 2010, the Railway Workers’ Union made a decision to join JHL. A joint organisation for railway employees was founded. At the beginning of 2012, the railway employees became JHL members.