European Commission award for SAK’s Tallinn Information Point

The Finnish Working Life Information Point set up in Tallinn, Estonia, by the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions - SAK has won an award from the European Commission as part of the European Year of Workers&#;8217 Mobility. The award was presented at the closing conference of the theme year in Lille, France, on Monday 11 December.

The winners of the European Workers’ Mobility Awards had significantly promoted labour mobility during 2006. They had effectively highlighted the advantages and challenges of working abroad or changing jobs. The Commission praised the substantial achievements of the award winners in establishing European, national, regional, local and cross-border practices.

"This award demonstrates the significance of years of work. By providing reliable and impartial information we have been able to prevent many potential problems, such as dumping of employment conditions and work in the grey economy. The Information Point has also advised enquirers on the importance of trade union membership," explains Matti Tukiainen, Director of SAK’s Information and Membership Services department, who was involved in setting up the Information Point project.

The SAK Information Point in Tallinn won the award for organisations, institutions and associations. When receiving the award on behalf of the organisation, Information Point Project Manager Eve Kyntäjä also addressed the closing conference on the subject of the role of the trade union movement in integrating foreign workers and the challenges faced by the Information Point project.

What is the Finnish Working Life Information Point?

SAK established the Finnish Working Life Information Point at the end of 2002 in Tallinn, initially on a trial basis for about two years. This temporary project was also supported financially by the European Union. A decision was subsequently taken to extend the work of the Information Point until the end of 2008 with funding from SAK and trade unions alone.

The experiences gained in operating the Information Point have been very encouraging. About 7,000 visitors have come to the Information Point with questions about working in Finland, and a further 5,000 contacts have been received by telephone and e-mail.

The Finnish Working Life Information Point provides information and advice about working in Finland. The availability of reliable information in the local languages, i.e. Estonian and Russian, prevents many misunderstandings and problem situations that can otherwise arise when working as a foreigner in Finland. The Information Point provides basic details of the Finnish labour market system, wage levels, taxation, terms and conditions of employment, labour protection, and the services provided by trade unions. The Information Point also arranges seminars and theme days on matters of topical concern.