Finnish Prison Officers’ Association
The members of the Prison Officers’ Association work for the Prison and Probation Service. The association is an organisational member of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL.
Members
The members of the Prison Officers’ Association have a wide range of job titles in prisons and community sanctions enforcement offices, and are mainly:
- Sanctions enforcement:
- employees
- supervisors
- Management
- Clerical staff
- Instructors / special instructors
Joining the union
You may join the Prison Officers’ Association by completing the online membership application form and submitting an authorisation to the Association’s office. Applicants must agree on the application with a local branch shop steward for the workplace before completing and submitting the application.
The membership subscription fee for the Prison Officers’ Association in 2025 is 1.0 per cent of gross wages. This membership subscription fee includes membership of the unemployment fund. The membership fee is tax-deductible.
Student membership
The Prison Officers’ Association does not have student members.
Tatu Alari (24)
The life of a prison officer is not filled with hand-to-hand combat, but involves working intelligently with human beings. Tatu Alari helps to ensure that inmates have good prospects of returning to normal life in civil society.
- Tatu has served as a Prison Officer at the new Turku Prison in Saramäki since 2022.
- He is a member of the Finnish Prison Officers’ Association VVL.
“I joined the union because a practical partnership makes sense for both the staff and the employer. This is particularly important at our high-security institution. Support from a shop steward over issues like pay and conditions is just a phone call away.”
Collective agreements
- The general collective agreement for government
Learn more about the general collective agreement for government