SAK seeks improved immigrant employment

Public authorities must investigate the reasons for high unemployment among immigrants and the obstacles to finding work. They must collaborate with labour market organisations to find solutions to this problem. This is the core message of a new immigration policy statement published today by the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions - SAK.

Everyone must be entitled to equitable treatment irrespective of nationality and ethnic extraction - and this includes the labour market. Immigrant unemployment is nearly three times the national average, with immigrants often employed in service sectors, and especially as cleaners and restaurant workers, regardless of their educational level.

A two-tier labour market that disadvantages foreign workers has emerged in certain industries where the workforce is organised in SAK-affiliated unions. Foreign workers do not always enjoy such benefits as overtime and weekend work bonuses or holiday compensation, and there are shortcomings in industrial safety and housing conditions. Most of the problems arise at workplaces where the workers are temporarily in Finland and the work is distributed through subcontracting chains.

Two labour markets: an unacceptable option

"Everyone working in Finland must have a guaranteed right to equitable terms and conditions of employment. Employers have a duty to ensure that the collectively agreed pay rates are respected in Finland and that work complies with Finnish terms and conditions. Enterprises that use subcontractors and employment agencies must also be responsible for ensuring that these business partners comply with legislation, and public authorities must make sure that this really happens in practice. This will also require more supervisory staff with effective powers to secure compliance," explains SAK business policy specialist Pia Björkbacka.

Temporary foreign employees encounter difficulties in the construction and technology, transport, agriculture, cleaning, market gardening, hotel and catering, and other industries. Many of them also have to pay agency fees when seeking work in Finland, even though such fees are illegal.

SAK estimates that about 70,000 foreigners were working in Finland on a temporary basis in 2009. This is roughly the same as the number of immigrants working permanently in Finland.

SAK insists that immigrant integration must promote the process of finding work. Employment and Economic Development Offices and local authorities must ensure that an individual immigrant integration plan is prepared in all cases where this is required.

All immigrants must also have access to effective language courses. "Besides conventional employment policy training, we must also increase the number of Finnish and Swedish language courses available at various levels and pay more attention to the needs of the individual," Björkbacka points out.

SAK Immigration Policy Objectives (pdf)