SAK trade unions launch online recruiting channel in English and Swedish

The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions - SAK and its affiliated unions have now opened their online service for prospective members in the English and Swedish languages. The service at www.tradeunion.fi helps applicants to find the right SAK union and to join it online. The new SAK website includes presentations of the various affiliated trade unions, a search engine, online membership application forms, and details of the benefits of membership.

The search engine finds the right SAK union based on details of the employer. Prospective members begin by identifying their employers in a database, after which the search engine recommends the right trade union according to the employer&#;8217s operating sector or to enterprise-specific collective agreements. The database is updated every month to include new registered employers.

Applicants who already know the collective agreement governing their employment can use this information to identify the appropriate trade union. Students can search for a union according to their target qualifications.

Applicants who have found the right union may then either complete an online application for membership of the union and its associated unemployment fund, or take other steps to initiate the process of joining. Six SAK trade unions currently allow fully automated applications for membership, while nine unions accept online applications from students. The new online service is also designed to accommodate other unions that follow the example of these forerunners.

The trade union membership portal may now be accessed on the Internet at www.tradeunion.fi in English, www.facket.fi in Swedish, and www.liitot.fi in Finnish. The technical aspects of the online service are the responsibility of the leading IT service company Sebacon Oy.