Membership in Trade Union JHL will be even more affordable in the future: Next year, the membership fee will be exactly one per cent of income

Next year, JHL will be Finland’s best and also most affordable trade union of the welfare sectors. The Union Council decided to lower the union’s membership fees significantly. This concerns both working members and some retired members.

JHL’s Union Council approved a bold budget in its autumn meeting, which will make trade union membership even more attractive. In 2022, the union membership fee will only be 1 per cent of a person’s gross income. This amount also includes membership in the unemployment fund. The union’s share of the membership fee will be 0.7 per cent, and the unemployment fund’s share 0.3 per cent.

This is a significant change compared with the current situation. In 2021, the total membership fee of the trade union and unemployment fund is 1.38 per cent.

– We hope that the lowered membership fee will improve the union’s attractiveness and bring new people to be covered by Finland’s best protection of interests.  The reduction in membership fee income will be compensated with the wealth that the union has accumulated over decades. The strong balance sheet will be used for the benefit of those who should benefit from it, JHL’s director of finance Jan Saarinen argues.

Lower fees also for some retired members

After the change, JHL will be Finland’s most affordable trade union of the welfare sectors. The membership fee will be lower than, say, SuPer’s or Tehy’s fees.

The union’s minimum membership fee will remain the same next year, EUR 8 a month. The exception is the membership fee of members who are 70 years and older. In the future, it will be no more than EUR 5 a month.

As for self-employed members, the membership fee will remain the same, EUR 20 a month.

A membership fee ceiling was also introduced for membership fees. In the future, trade union membership will cost a maximum of EUR 600 a year. After a clear majority voted for it, the Union Council made the decision to introduce the membership fee ceiling.

Membership fee refund to branches will remain the same

Despite the lowered membership fee, branches’ share of Trade Union JHL’s income will remain the same. Next year, the branches will receive 20 per cent of the membership fees collected by the union. The lowering of the membership fees will decrease the union’s income significantly, but branches will be paid a compensation for this. In this way, the branches’ income will remain on the same level as in 2021.