What are staff associations and what do they do?
Staff associations are a part of senior salaried employees’ lobbying, but they also have a significant role in increasing the sense of community within senior salaried employees at a workplace. A staff association may operate at unit, company or group level.
The goal of the staff associations is to boost the local lobbying of senior salaried employees. They provide support and a sparring partner to shop stewards as well as arrange events and happenings that interest their members.
Staff associations may also actively seek to increase the trade union membership level by acquiring new members to YTN unions.
For what are staff associations needed?
The local unionising of senior salaried employees facilitates the handling of their employment matters. With the help of staff associations, matters negotiated at the workplace can be discussed equally and openly among the entire personnel group.
A staff association represents all senior salaried employees at the workplace who belong to YTN’s member unions and are members of the staff association. If the workplace besides a staff association also has representatives of senior salaried employees, a staff association is a good way to collect the representatives’ experiences and views together.
When a better picture is obtained from the company, better agreements can be made with the help of a staff association and implement comprehensive lobbying.
When a staff association recruits a new senior salaried employee of the company, the staff association should also make sure that the employee updates their workplace and contact information in the member register of their own union.
Support for staff associations
YTN supports staff associations in various ways. In addition to financial support, each staff association has a sponsor who participates in the staff associations’ events and helps and supports the staff association in its operations. Staff association actors can also participate in YTN’s staff association events and association trainings.
YTN’s financing model for staff associations includes a one-time founding support, an annual member support as well as project support meant to guarantee the number of members.
Founding a staff association
It’s easy to found a staff association. Three people must be present at the constitutive meeting of the association, and the charter of foundation, with appendices, must be drafted and signed at the meeting.
Please contact YTN before founding the association to clarify practical matters and cooperation procedures.
After the staff association has been founded, the staff association and YTN will sign a cooperation agreement where the cooperation between the staff association and YTN is established. YTN supports the associations financially and otherwise based on the cooperation agreement.
From here you can find the needed documents for establishing new staff association:
YTN staff associations charter
YTN staff associations constitutive meeting 2020
YTN staff associations model rules 2020