The fastest growing group in the membership of the Union of Journalists in Finland are pensioners and the self-employed. Every fifth person in the sector is working on freelance basis.

Self-employed journalists do get help from the Union, including counselling.

In the Union office Valtteri Aaltonen is in charge of interest protection issues of freelance journalists in the print media while Marianne Leskinen handles those working in the electronic media.

Practical information is provided by the popular training programme,What is it to be a freelance journalist, organized by freelance branch and the union together. The issues discussed there, among others are business models, negotiating of agreements, remuneration and copyrights.

The Union has also published a comprehensive guidebook for freelance journalists. It is available in Finnish from the Union office.

“We also provide reliable information on remuneration and how to keep them up”, says director at the Union, Petri Savolainen.

The union negotiates on the minimum working conditions of freelance journalists with media houses and their employers association, the Finnish Media Industry (VKL) within the framework of competition rights.

“We assist in drawing up agreements and lobby on behalf of the self-employed also with an eye to the election cycle: better social security and unemployment benefits as well as the right to collective bargaining”, says Savolainen.

With the help of the rights to negotiate entrusted to the union by freelance journalists, the union also negotiates for basic service conditions and remuneration of freelance journalists. The union does lobbying work with other trade unions. In the spring the union will organise a Co-operatives Day in collaboration with the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK).