SAK calls for clearer employment focus in Finnish immigration policy

The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions &#;8211 SAK has expressed the view that Finland's immigration policy should focus more clearly on migration for employment. SAK stresses that although immigration for employment is good for Finland, its growth should be carefully managed. It is essential to ensure that migrants are treated fairly and to avoid segregation of the labour market. It is also important to promote tolerant attitudes in Finnish working life.

SAK issued its statement at the beginning of September in response to a new proposal for a national immigration policy programme. The proposal was prepared by a Ministry of Labour working group and explicitly focuses on promoting immigration for employment. Other important themes in the proposal include creating a guidance system for new arrivals, enhancing the immigrant integration system and improving ethnic relations. The overall aim of the proposal is "to encourage the development of a pluralistic, multicultural and equitable society, thereby supporting globalisation in Finland and improving international competitiveness".

An impending substantial fall in the working age population of Finland also makes it necessary to consider promoting immigration. So far, however, only about one immigrant in ten is officially admitted to Finland for the purpose of employment. SAK stresses that increased immigration cannot be viewed as the main solution to Finland's employment problems. It is also important to improve the employment rate of the country's existing immigrant population, as this is currently only 43 per cent.

One weakness that SAK identifies in the programme proposal is that it gives too little consideration to the situation of temporary foreign workers in Finland. Tens of thousands of foreign workers already take up such temporary assignments each year, and it is precisely this sector that suffers most from illegally low wages, discrimination and tax evasion. SAK feels that aspects such as the policy of applying 35 per cent source tax to the earnings of people working temporarily in Finland should be reviewed. Such flat-rate taxation arrangements are not necessarily appropriate, as the earnings of foreign workers differ widely in various types of work. SAK also feels that the situation of foreign workers could also be improved by bringing them more fully within the scope of the pay guarantee system that ensures employee wages even in the event of employer bankruptcy.

Streamlining of aliens' administration desirable

SAK approves of the working group proposal to centralise and simplify permit procedures for foreign workers. However, the organisation feels that consideration should also be given to centralising the entire immigration and aliens' administration, as in some other Nordic countries.

To combat the grey economy and the use of irregular foreign workers, SAK also proposes various measures, including a regulation requiring employers of foreign workers to be entered in the tax withholding register.

SAK agrees with the Ministry of Labour working group that regulation of immigrant labour based on the availability of labour in the Finnish economy should remain in place while widespread unemployment continues. The attitude of the trade union movement towards this issue will depend on the effectiveness of measures taken to ensure effective compliance with minimum terms of employment for foreign workers. This, in turn, is strongly linked to the demands of the trade union movement for subscriber liability and an independent right of unions to bring civil actions against employers on behalf of their employees. Both of these demands were referred for further consideration at the last round of national incomes policy negotiations in December.

Progress in these reforms will also affect the views of SAK on ending the transition period for free movement of labour from the new Member States of the European Union. This transition period governing the right of citizens of the new Member States to work in Finland is due for review when the Finnish Parliament considers a government report on this question in the spring.

SAK advises caution on a working group proposal to introduce three-month "jobseeker visas" for third-country nationals. German experiences with liberal visa policies suggest that it would be unwise to issue visas where no job vacancy is already known. Finland would do well to study the lessons learned by other countries before considering such a move. SAK also insists that the effects of labour mobility within the European Union should be investigated before any similar international jobseeker scheme is extended beyond the borders of the Internal Market.

Zero tolerance for discrimination at work

SAK is pleased to note that the working group proposal stresses the importance of multiculturalism and tolerance at workplaces. The organisation fully supports the proposed policy of "zero tolerance" in combating racism and ethnic discrimination, and undertakes to promote this objective in its own work.

One of the anti-discrimination activities that SAK is co-ordinating is the Petmo project subsidised by the European Social Fund, which seeks to improve the induction procedures for new foreign employees at fifteen enterprises and workplaces in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Other partners involved in this project include the city authorities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, ten trade unions, three training organisations and the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK). Businesses and organisations in the industrial, service and public sectors are also taking part in the Petmo project, together with international partners from the United Kingdom, France and Austria.