Membership benefits
Join YKA now and enjoy a wide variety of members’ benefits and services!
YKA membership gives you high-quality services and valuable benefits! Join our workshops, make use of our insurance policies, ask our legal team for advice, and make an appointment for personal career guidance. Our services are tailored to social science professionals. So make the most of your services and benefits!
Join YKA!YKA offers you a wide range of services and membership benefits:
Work-related legal advice
As a member of Social Science Professionals you have access to legal advice relating to both your work and your private life. You can contact YKA directly if you have questions or are facing issues relating to working life. Our lawyers are ready to help and advice on things like employment relationships, salaries, employment contracts and unemployment security. If needed, members can also make use of our lawyers’ services if they face conflict situations at work.
Members can contact our work-related legal advice services by emailing juristit@yka.fi.
When emailing us for support, we suggest you include any background information that is relevant to your case in the first email, such as the name of your employer, and details of your employment relationship and of any collective agreement that applies.
We aim to answer questions within a couple of days, but at busy times, such as at the start of holiday seasons, you should be prepared to wait longer for a reply.
If a disagreement cannot be resolved in the workplace, YKA can also contact the employer directly (with the permission of the employee) and urge them to act correctly. As a last resort, the matter can be resolved in court with the support of YKA’s legal services.
You can ask the YKA lawyer who is assisting you for more information on this.
Salary guidance
Are you preparing for a salary negotiation or wondering what salary to ask for when changing jobs? You don’t have to figure it out on your own! We offer our members personalised salary advice based on research data. Our experts can help you set a realistic salary expectation, whether you’re applying for a new job, a summer job or an internship.
Members with questions regarding salary levels can contact the chief negotiators directly:
- private sector: Nuutti Pursiainen: (nuutti.pursiainen@yka.fi)
- public sector and universities: Petri Toiviainen (petri.toiviainen@yka.fi)
To help us provide you with the most accurate and relevant salary advice, please include a few details about your situation when contacting us:
- Employer or employment sector – where you work or are applying for a job
- Job title or role – the position you’re considering
- Relevant work experience – how much experience you have in similar roles
- Job location – where the position is based
- Current salary – if you’re moving to a new role within your current workplace
The more information you share, the better we can tailor our advice to your situation.
Legal protection
In addition to the legal advice services included in YKA membership, members also benefit from legal expenses insurance, which covers legal representation and court costs. The longer you have been a member without interruption, the greater your legal expenses coverage and the lower your deductible.
Legal expenses coverage applies to civil disputes and criminal matters relating to a member’s own employment or public-service employment relationship, provided that the matter falls within the scope of the legal expenses coverage terms and YKA considers it appropriate to grant coverage given the nature of the case.
The coverage also extends to members who are self-employed professionals with no employees, members holding full-time elected positions, and members who have applied for employment or public-service positions.
Legal expenses are covered up to the maximum amount specified in the terms of coverage for each member. The maximum amount of coverage depends on the length of membership, as does the member’s deductible.
Using legal expenses coverage requires a coverage decision made by a YKA lawyer or negotiation manager. Therefore, members who need legal expenses coverage must first contact YKA. This will also give you access to the detailed terms and conditions of the coverage.
Unemployment security
As a salaried member of YKA, you are also a member of the Unemployment Fund Ote, which pays its members an earnings-related unemployment allowance.
Even for fairly small salaries, the earnings-related unemployment allowance is significantly larger than the unemployment benefit which Kela pays out and which is not dependent on your previous salary. Read the instructions provided by the Unemployment Fund Ote and act accordingly.
- Register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services.
- Apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance by following the instructions provided by the unemployment fund Ote.
- If you have not met the employment requirement during your membership of the unemployment fund, apply for unemployment benefits from Kela.
- Once you have been unemployed for three months, you are eligible to apply for a reduction in your YKA membership fee. You can apply for the reduction through the OmaYKA online service. Read more about membership fee reductions.
- Make the most of your YKA membership! You can continue to use all the services available to YKA members, including training courses, coaching, personal advice, legal services and other membership benefits presented on this website.
- If you need any help along the way, don’t hesitate to contact us at jasenasiat@yka.fi. We’re always happy to help!
Workshops and events
YKA’s training courses and events support members’ career wellbeing and help them maintain and develop their professional skills in a changing labour market. They also provide opportunities to network with other social science professionals.
Most of our events are held in Finnish, but we also offer a great selection of trainings and courses in English! Unfortunately, our events calendar is currently only available in Finnish, but you can use the link below to browse our upcoming training courses in English.
Take a look to see what training is coming up for our members:
Courses and events
Career services and personal coaching
These days we need all kinds of different career skills. We want to offer YKA members skills and capabilities for different kinds of career situations and transitions. Whether you are at the beginning of your career, or you have been in working life for a while or a long time, we can offer you tools and sparring. Our services include e.g. personal career coaching and counselling for wellbeing at work, salary guidance, a listing of open positions suited for social science professionals, mentoring and an extensive range of training and professional events.
Most of YKA’s services and events are held in Finnish, but personal coaching, counselling and guidance are also available in English:
Our Career Services
Travel and accident insurance
YKA members are insured in their spare time with traveller’s insurance, luggage insurance and accident insurance from insurance company Fennia.
You can find more detailed information about your member insurance coverage in the OmaYKA portal.
Fennia’s claims service is available at +358 10 503 5022 (personal injuries) and +358 10 503 5031 (luggage claims).
When contacting Fennia, remember to mention that you are covered by YKA’s group insurance policy. This will help Fennia’s customer service team find your details more quickly.
If you fall ill or have an accident while travelling, call Fennia’s Reissuapu Travel Assistance service, which is available 24/7. The service can also help you with travel arrangements if your trip is interrupted.
1. Call Fennia Reissuapu on +358 10 503 5503. Provide your insurance policy number, which you can find in OmaYKA.
2. Reissuapu will check your insurance, record your information and book any necessary doctor’s examination or treatment appointments for you at your destination.
3. After your visit, the medical centre will invoice Fennia for medical expenses.
4. If your luggage is lost or damaged, or if you have paid any expenses out of pocket, you can submit a claim at Fennia. You will need your insurance policy number, which you can find under the Insurance tab in OmaYKA.
Holiday lets
Taking time to relax and recharge is an important part of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. In Finland, trade unions have a long tradition of offering their members affordable holiday cottages to rent.
Member+ is a membership benefits service for Akava-affiliated trade unions, where you can book holiday lets offered to members of both YKA and other Akava-affiliated unions.
You can book most holiday lets available through the Member+ service up to six months in advance.
YKA-owned holiday lets, such as Rukanjurmu, are an exception. As a YKA member, you have priority booking access, meaning you can book these properties up to seven months in advance. YKA members also enjoy lower rates at these properties.
Log into Member+ service and change the language settings to English.
You can find YKA’s own holiday lets under the heading Liittosi lomahuoneistot or Your Union’s Holiday Lets when you log in to the Member+ service.
If a property’s changeover day is Saturday, a new booking week becomes available during the night between Friday and Saturday. For most properties, shorter stays of less than a week become available when there is less than one month until the start of the booking period.
If you’re having trouble figuring out how to book a holiday let, don’t hesitate to get in touch! We’re happy to help you through the process: jasenasiat@yka.fi.
Legal advice on personal matters
YKA has an agreement with the law firm Asianajotoimisto Jurentia to provide members with legal advice by phone on personal legal matters. The service covers a wide range of issues, including inheritance and wills, prenuptial agreements, division of property, gifts, and legal responsibilities related to buying or selling a home or other property.
If you need legal advice on a personal matter, call Jurentia at (09) 6829 4400 (weekdays from 8:00 to 16:30, Finnish time).
Alternatively, you can contact Jurentia using the contact form on their website.
When getting in touch, mention that you would like to use the legal advice service offered as a YKA membership benefit. You will need to provide the lawyer with your name and membership number, which you can find in OmaYKA.
The service covers a variety of personal legal matters, including:
- Family and inheritance law
- Disputes related to buying or selling homes and other property
- Housing-related disputes
- Contract law and compensation claims
- Criminal law matters
The service is designed to provide legal advice over the phone. You can explain your situation and receive guidance from a lawyer without the need for them to review documents.
Please note that the service does not include drafting legal documents. The lawyer also cannot provide advice on matters that are already being handled by another legal representative or that you are personally pursuing in court or before a public authority.
If your case requires a review of documents or other legal services that are not covered by this agreement, you can enter into a separate service agreement with Jurentia.
As a YKA member, you receive a 15% discount on Jurentia’s legal fees for these additional services. To receive the discount, you must inform Jurentia of your valid YKA membership and provide proof of membership no later than when signing the service agreement.
The service does not cover legal matters related to employment, work duties, business activities, investments, income-generating activities or positions of trust.
For any legal questions or problems related to your employment or public-service employment relationship, please contact YKA’s own legal team at juristit@yka.fi.
Discounts from Danske Bank
As a YKA member, you can enjoy more affordable housing loans and a wide range of benefits from Danske Bank to help you manage your personal finances and build financial peace of mind.
Whether you’re applying for a new loan or looking for a better deal on your existing one, Danske Bank makes it easy to compare your options. If you decide to switch banks, Danske Bank will take care of the process for you. You can also take advantage of these benefits if you already have a loan with Danske Bank.
Below you’ll find an overview of the benefits available to you. Please note that the benefits may change slightly from year to year.
Danske Bank discounts for Akava membersAs a member of an Akava-affiliated trade union, you automatically receive a discount on your mortgage interest margin. This means you can get a more affordable mortgage than you would without your trade union membership.
Current minimum interest margins are taken into account when determining your loan terms. Your loan offer will show you the price both with and without your trade union membership benefits.
As an Akava-affiliated union member, you also pay no mortgage processing or arrangement fees. The standard fee is 0.60% of the loan amount, with a minimum charge of €300.
There’s a suitable way for everyone to invest, regardless of whether you prefer to invest on your own, seek a convenient ready-made solution or want personal advice.
Take advantage of excellent benefits related to student loans, credit cards, regular fund savings and equity savings accounts.
Recent graduates who are members of an Akava-affiliated trade union can enjoy additional valuable benefits from Danske Bank, including:
- Free everyday banking services with the most comprehensive service package
- Access to over 1,000 airport lounges and comprehensive travel insurance
- Tools for saving and investing
- Loans with no opening fee – save €300
Rewarding and flexible account saving for Akava members.
Unsecured loan for higher education graduates.
Read more about the benefits offered by Danske Bank.
Other members’ benefits and discounts
With Member+, you can enjoy a wide range of benefits and discounts on leisure activities, everyday purchases and wellbeing services. Explore what’s on offer and make sure to take advantage of the discount codes – and please note that the benefits and offers change seasonally!
Member+Member+ is a membership benefits service for Akava-affiliated trade unions. Through the service, you can book holiday lets offered to members of both YKA and other Akava-affiliated unions. You’ll also find a wide variety of discounts and special offers on different products and services.
You can log in to Member+ using the same credentials as for the OmaYKA online service. No separate registration is required.
Remember to select YKA as your trade union from the website menu to make sure you can see all the benefits available to you.