Employee representatives, or HEDs, are individuals elected by the employees of a company to act as advocates for their personnel group and as developers of workplace practices.
In collective agreements and legislation, various terms are used to refer to employee representatives, such as luottamusmies (shop steward), luottamushenkilö (trusted person), luottamusvaltuutettu (elected representative), or yhteyshenkilö (contact person).
The employees have the right to elect an employee representative. Depending on the sector or industry covered by the collective agreement, the representative is elected either at the company or workplace level. The applicable collective agreement defines who may stand for election and who is eligible to vote. If there is no collective agreement in place, a luottamusvaltuutettu can be selected from among senior salaried employees under the Employment Contracts Act. The typical term of office for an employee representative is two years.
If you are an employee representative, you serve the members you represent in your workplace. It's essential that you maintain good connections with the employees in your group. You also act as a link between the trade union and the workplace. Information flows through you from the workplace to union negotiators for upcoming bargaining rounds and, in turn, from the union and the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff (YTN) to the members at your workplace.
As an ASIA member serving as an HED, you represent all YTN-affiliated union members at the workplace, not just those belonging to ASIA. In collective matters, you represent all senior salaried employees who elected you, including those who are not members of a trade union.
One of your responsibilities is to highlight the importance of union membership at the workplace and to encourage non-members to join a suitable YTN-affiliated union. We at ASIA can assist you in identifying the most appropriate union.
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As an employee representative, you are in a prime position to influence workplace development and employee advocacy. Your work supports improving working conditions, employment terms, and employee well-being. In this role, you act as a negotiator, agreement-maker, mediator, and communicator between the employer and employees.
With the rise of local bargaining, the significance of employee representatives has grown in recent years. As an HED, you are a workplace developer and should be well-informed about employee conditions. You are a key figure in managing and organizing matters between the employer and employees.
In many companies, employers have recognized that supporting employee representative functions is essential for long-term effective personnel policies.
Due to your representative role, you may face pressure or discrimination from the employer. Therefore, you have enhanced protection against dismissal, both contractually and legally. As an employee representative, you may be partially or fully released from regular duties to perform your representative role. You have rights under collective agreements and legislation to access the information necessary to fulfill your duties. You may also use workplace facilities, phones, email, photocopiers, and other tools in carrying out your responsibilities.
As an employee representative, you have the right to participate in training relevant to your role. ASIA and YTN aim to provide robust support for fulfilling your duties. Both basic and advanced training sessions are organized for HEDs. You may attend these during working hours by agreement beforehand, and the employer must compensate for any lost earnings. You can register for training sessions and events organized by ASIA for employee representatives.
If you're caught off guard by change negotiations and feel you need training, contact HED contact manager at ASIA Enni Nirhola. If needed, we can arrange tailored short “crash courses” to prepare you for negotiations at a time convenient for you.
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According to the Employment Contracts Act, employees have the right to hold meetings at the workplace to discuss labor market issues, as long as such gatherings do not interfere with work. In practice, this means the employer must provide facilities for free but is not obligated to allow gatherings during working hours. Therefore, meetings must be held outside of working hours—before the workday starts, during breaks, or after work. Even weekend meetings must be permitted unless serious safety concerns prevent them. The employer is not responsible for providing catering or other associated costs.
The Employment Contracts Act does not include specific provisions on employees’ right to disseminate information. However, YTN and the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) have agreed on this right. According to this agreement, senior salaried employees have the right to post information on the workplace bulletin board regarding labor market issues and general topics. In practice, local agreements often allow the use of company communication tools such as email and intranet. In some sectors, these rights are more specifically defined in collective agreements.
The right to inform becomes especially relevant during cooperation negotiations concerning workforce reductions. Contrary to common belief, employee representatives participating in these negotiations are not automatically bound to confidentiality regarding all discussed matters. The law includes a precise list of confidential topics, such as trade and professional secrets, financial information, corporate security, and other sensitive arrangements, the disclosure of which could harm the employer or business partners. Even then, confidentiality only applies if the employer has specifically identified the information as confidential and explained the reason.
Therefore, an employee representative may freely communicate, for example, the progress of cooperation negotiations. Additionally, the Act on Cooperation within Undertakings allows representatives to share even confidential information with other employees if necessary to safeguard their status and achieve the purpose of cooperation.
Update your HED information to ensure timely communication. You can register for training sessions and events organized by ASIA for employee representatives. Please also report information about your term as a representative in the YTN online service at: https://asiointi.ytn.fi.