The Legal Assistance isn’t “just legal expenses insurance” – and that’s exactly why it works

Topics

• Labour law
• Legal assistance
• Member benefit

On social media you sometimes come across posts claiming that YTK Worklife’s Legal Assistance is not the same thing as a union’s legal protection. That’s true. Our protection doesn’t materialize at the courtroom door, but much earlier: at the moment when a person gets the feeling that “this isn’t fair” or “I don’t understand what this means now”. In work life problems the most important moment is the beginning, not the final act.

Our Legal Assistance listens from the very first moment

The Legal Assistance’s first and most important promise is that from the very first moments you will be listened to by a lawyer or attorney who specializes in employment law. Not a coworker, an expert or a trusted representative, but a lawyer. An experienced professional knows how your case can be handled, asks the right questions and gives a realistic picture of what lies ahead. 

The YTK Legal Assistance service receives over 25 000 employment-law related contacts each year. It is the everyday reality of the issues for which people need clear answers in their working life. The Legal Assistance is specifically an everyday service, not a task force created only for rare emergencies.

Expert guidance prevents disputes

And this is connected to the second concrete promise of the Legal Assistance: about 85 percent of these everyday problems are resolved with competent advice. That means a lawyer’s assessment, instructions and the next steps are enough, and the disagreement doesn’t have time to turn into a dispute. Matters are therefore resolved quickly. And if they don’t – which happens in about 10 percent of contacts – the lawyers of the Legal Assistance take the matter on, send a letter to the employer and seek a solution. And at this stage as well, YTK Worklife pays all the bills. With no deductible. We handle nearly 2 000 such cases annually and, as unbelievable as it may sound, we also cover all costs for these cases with only a 31 euro membership fee per year.

Only the remaining few, rarest cases proceed to court, and in those instances members of YTK Worklife have legal expenses insurance they can use as a safeguard.

And now a small spoiler: The Legal Assistance’s service model is not accidental, but the result of deliberate design. It’s downright senseless to hold on to the notion that everything is  “fine” when you get to court. Moving forward to the courtroom is a slow and exhausting path, and if the proceedings drag out, uncertainty lingers for months or even years. A legal process doesn’t just eat up time, it also consumes peace of mind. In our view, the best legal protection for a member is that the matter is resolved before life falls to pieces. 

That’s why we at the YTK Worklife Legal Assistance service believe in seeking agreement. Not because arguing is somehow difficult, but because a quick, courteous and sustainable solution is without doubt the best outcome for the member. It’s just unfortunate that “best outcome” doesn’t look so dramatic, because it doesn’t make the headlines. And that is exactly our goal. Ordinary people’s problems need solutions, not posturing.

Yes, it’s ridiculously cheap

Our third promise is about price: we want to keep YTK Worklife membership ridiculously cheap. Then as many people as possible have the best chance to get expert, humane and realistic help with everyday employment issues in time. We also think this is fair: the service is not a rare luxury product for a few, but a comprehensive safety net for many. We believe that in the long run the most sensible solution for a member is an affordable membership where a lawyer is always immediately available and where expensive court proceedings are a rare exception, not the primary goal.

The Legal Assistance is built on promises that we work for every day. A lawyer is always the first point of contact; most matters are resolved quickly through advice or by taking on the case, with costs covered by YTK Worklife. If a rare situation requires legal action, insurance is in place. In addition, we promise to keep membership ridiculously cheap.

We warmly encourage other organizations to freely adopt this model, where a member’s everyday life and finances are placed on the primary pedestal. That way, a person receives a service that helps with problems competently, at the right time and at a reasonable price. 

Ilona Kangas

Director of Employment Services

I help our members and employees to succeed at work in many different ways. I lead and develop the activities of YTK Worklife and am responsible for managing customer experience, marketing and communications in YTK Work life services and fund services.