By joining a trade union, you get a greater sense of security and safety about your work and working life, legal protection in the event of a dispute with your employer, good advice on how to resolve difficult situations, training and joint events organised by trade unions, and friendly interaction with colleagues from other companies. In addition, trade union branches have a range of 'fringe benefits' such as membership discounts with partners and funds where you can apply for financial assistance, for example in the event of unemployment.
Trade union membership fees are usually 1% of your gross salary.
As a rule, trade union membership benefits all workers, especially those who want to make a difference in their workplace, need help with work-related problems or want to give themselves collective protection while resolving possible disagreements at work.
Joining a union is easy, first step is to fill and sign the membership form.
A trade union is a non-profit membership organisation of workers which deals with all kinds of work-related problems, defending and representing workers' interests, negotiating with employers, improving the working environment and other issues that may arise in working life.
The employer is often in a much better position than the employee, for example, when it comes to negotiating wages or accessing and understanding legal information. Trade union membership improves a worker's weaker position and gives workers the opportunity to be more equal partners with their employers. The strength of a trade union lies in its members - the more union members there are, the stronger the position of the workers.
There have been cases where relations between employer and employee deteriorate after a trade union has been formed in the company, but in general, these examples show that relations have already deteriorated. The purpose of a trade union is not to fight or antagonise the employer, but to defend the interests of the worker in the best way possible in the specific situation. With reasonable, law-abiding employers who care about their workers, trade unions generally have a very constructive and mutually beneficial working relationship, but not all employers are fully law-abiding and care about their workers. Trade union membership is considered to be part of sensitive personal data, which means that a worker can be a member of a trade union without the employer's knowledge.
A minimum of five workers is required to form a separate 'trade union cell' in the workplace, but you can also be a member on your own. The difference lies in the 'services' that a trade union can provide. For example, if employees have an interest in collective bargaining with their employer, it is necessary for as many (preferably at least a third) of the company's employees as possible to belong to a union in order to achieve a good result. On the other hand, if you are the only union member in your company, you can still get legal help and advice from your union.
The power of a trade union lies in its members and its experience. So the more members, the stronger the union. At the same time, trade unions in Estonia have a long experience of representing workers, and typical concerns tend to be more or less the same from one company to another, and experience in one company is transferable to action in another.
