A-kassa Open Unemployment Fund is the third-largest unemployment fund in Finland. A-kassa currently has over 228,000 members and will gain an additional 17,000 members when the Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund merges with A-kassa at the turn of the year.
A-Kassa is a multi-sectoral unemployment fund open to all wage and salary earners. Already ten trade unions currently partner with A-Kassa: the Industrial Union, the Finnish Construction Trade Union, the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union (AKT), the Finnish Post and Logistics Union (PAU), the Finnish Seafarers’ Union (FSU), the Trade Union for Theatre and Media Finland (Teme), the Union of Journalists in Finland, the Finnish Actors’ Union, the Finnish Musicians’ Union, and Ay-toimihenkilöt (the union for clerical employees of trade unions). The Finnish Food Workers’ Union (SEL) will join them in January.
The number of unemployment funds has decreased constantly. At the start of this year, there were 15 unemployment funds for wage and salary earners and one for self-employed people in Finland. In 1995, there were 67 unemployment funds. The Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund, which is now due to merge with A-kassa, has approximately 17,000 members, making it the second smallest unemployment fund.
Large, multi-sectoral unemployment funds can be better prepared than small funds to face seasonal fluctuations in employment rates, fulfil their obligations as funds, and take on any new duties assigned to unemployment funds. This enables the fund to offer its members high-quality unemployment fund services as flexibly and cost-effectively as possible.
The merger of the Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund into A-kassa does not require members to take action. It will not affect the members’ unemployment security or benefit payments. Your membership will continue in the new unemployment fund automatically and without interruption. The SEL membership fee will continue to include the unemployment fund membership fee.
A-kassa offers its members financial security by paying them earnings-related daily allowances during unemployment or layoff. The fund also pays its members job alternation allowances, mobility allowances, and restructuring protection allowances. Modern, easy-to-use services make applying for unemployment security quick and convenient. eService is recommended as the primary service channel because it is quick and secure.
Additional information:
Irene Niskanen, Head of Unemployment Fund
irene.niskanen@a-kassa.fi
040 860 1637
