EN
WE are...
The Finnish Association of Academic Agronomists is a trade union affiliated with Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland. It advocates the interests of its members, promotes their career advancement, fosters a sense of togetherness and provides a range of membership services. The values pursued by the Association in its activities are transparency, fairness, responsibility and capacity for cooperation. The Association in founded in 1897.
Members
Currently the Association has about 6000 members, all experts in their respective fields: food, animal husbandry, consumer issues, agriculture, human nutrition, biology and environmental sciences. In Finland, education in these fields is provided by the universities of Helsinki, Eastern Finland and Turku.
Members of the Association find employment in a wide range of different expert or managerial positions in companies, associations, government offices, and research institutions representing the agricultural and food industries, at universities, in municipal positions and health care institutions. Entrepreneurship is also a common choice for them. Some of them work as part-time farmers on the side of their work.
Geographically, the majority of jobs in these industries are located in the biggest cities in Southern and Western Finland.
Salaries vary depending on the employer’s sector, branch of activity, as well as the size of the employer organisation and the employee’s position. The average salary of the Association’s members is a little under EUR 4,500 per month.
The Association
The highest decision-making body in the Association is the 25-strong Council that normally convenes twice a year and is chaired by agronomist Simo Tiainen. The Association’s Executive Board comprising seven members meets approximately once a month and is chaired by agronomist Jyrki Isotalo.
The various committees are groups appointed by the Association of Academic Agronomists to discharge specific functions related to its core tasks. The members invited to join the committees are experts in the individual fields involved.
The foundations operating under the auspices of the Association of Academic Agronomists award grants and stipends worth tens of thousands of euros every year. The management boards of the foundations include members of the Association’s office staff and elected officials as well as other invited individuals.
Efficiency calls for cooperation
The Association of Academic Agronomists is affiliated with Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland, which looks after the members’ professional and financial interests in cooperation with the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO and the Federation of Professional Staff YTN. Issues related to a broader advocacy of interests, such as social, educational and employment policies, pension issues and international cooperation, are handled together with the central organization Akava.
Additionally, the Association is active in Vakava, a cooperation network created by 15 Akava unions.
Useful information
Guide to working in Finland (in Finnish)
Membership in trade unions in Finland
Job-seeking help, Employment and Economic Development Office