What is SMKJ?

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 November 2011 12:59

SMKJ, the Union of Sales and Marketing Professionals, is a non-political organization of over 27,000 members. promoting the interests of all professionals working in sales, marketing or purchasing. SMKJ’s central organization is Akava (the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland).

SMKJ acts as a special-interest group for its members; monitoring and advancing their social, financial and professional benefits as well as developing their professional skills and know-how. It also seeks to deepen the sense of ‘SMKJ identity’ among its members.

We at SMKJ offer out members support and security in work life and its changes together with a wide variety of training events. Our membership services cover, among other things, legal expenses insurance and earnings-related protection against unemployment. You can find a description of all our membership advantages here.

Individual Services for Individuals

SMKJ’s field of expertise - serving all professionals in sales, marketing and purchasing individually - is a conscious choice. SMKJ does not even attempt to negotiate collective agreements regarding terms of agreement or salaries between its members and their employers.

One of the reasons for this is the varied result-based salary structures, negotiated individually by our members. Why try and suppress them all into one particular mould? In our field, the independent nature of work and frequent travel requirements are in many ways unique when compared with other professions.

Successful achievers should indeed negotiate their salaries and individual terms of agreement face to face with their employers, but experts in issues related to salary and terms of agreement are still needed. Our speciality is to affordably provide our members the services of these experts together with valuable advantages. Individual counselling in problem issues, negotiating and reconciling; this is the modern way of dealing with the often difficult hurdles in work life.
 
The membership fee of SMKJ is deductible, with the same annual amount for all members within a membership category. It is not a percentage of your wages. The annual membership fee is payable in 1-3 instalments by using a bank giro posted to your home. It is every members personal decision whether or not to inform their employer of the membership.