Finland’s largest Trade Union launches mobile app for seasonal workers

The Industrial Union is Finland’s largest trade union, representing more than 200,000 employees in various sectors. These include farm, garden, and forestry workers.

The Hermes smartphone app from the Industrial Union is now available in app stores. The free app is designed for employees and employers in the agricultural and forestry sectors.

Hermes is a unique app on an international scale. It provides reliable information about the ground rules in working life and living in Finland. The same content is provided in five languages. The app can be used in English, Swedish, Finnish, Ukrainian, and Russian.

The Hermes app is easy to use. You can download the app from your app store or the Hermes project’s website at www.hermesapp.fi.

The pilot phase of the Hermes project began in 2022 in rural industries such as berry farms, livestock farms, and the forestry, horticultural, and nursery garden sectors. The app will be expanded in the next few years to cover other industries and languages.

The availability of seasonal workers is vital for employers in the agricultural and forestry industries. That is why employers also need accurate and up-to-date information on matters such as the salaries, wages, and other working conditions required by the collective agreement. One problem is the illegal fees that various agents try to charge foreign newcomers who want to come and work in Finland. Nobody should have to pay to be able to work in Finland.

The project is part of a package launched by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The work was done in cooperation with employer organisations, Metsähallitus (the Finnish forestry authority), and the Migration Institute of Finland.

Additional information:

Anu-Hanna Anttila, Research Manager and Head of the Hermes project
[email protected], Tel. +358 40 662 1262

Henri von Adlerkrone, Project Coordinator
[email protected], Tel. +358 40 9226684