Despite language barriers, a friend’s recom­men­da­tion to join a union makes a difference

Many emplo­yees with foreign background don’t speak Finnish well and spend most of their time outside work with people who speak their language. Their knowledge of Finnish society and working life may be scarce, so infor­ma­tion about the impor­tant work done by the Industrial Union may not reach them through “official channels”. And even if it does, they may have doubts about the benefits of joining — after all, membership costs money. The language barrier raises the bar for joining a union and especially for applying for positions of trust.

“Infor­ma­tion in diffe­rent languages is needed more than ever”

“I’m from Ukraine and moved to Finland just over five years ago, before Russia attacked and the war began. I hope that the war will end and I can return to my home country.

A large majority of emplo­yees at my workplace are foreig­ners, but only about one in three have joined the Industrial Union. Overall, there are a lot of foreig­ners in the horticul­ture industry. Many are seasonal workers, which further reduces motiva­tion to join the union.

It’s easier to become a member if you have friends with positive experiences of the union. Back when I joined the union, I did so at the recom­men­da­tion of a Ukrai­nian coworker. Today, I’m the chief shop steward and occupa­tional safety repre­sen­ta­tive. I’ve also served as a repre­sen­ta­tive at the Union Congress and attended many courses at the Murikka Insti­tute. I try to make sure that emplo­yees look at their payslips and check that everyt­hing is paid correctly.

It’d be good to have materials available in many languages that we could hand out to people directly.

The language barrier is a major reason why it is hard to get people of foreign background to join the union. It’d be good to have materials available in many languages that we could hand out to people directly. To some degree, these wishes have been met, and I unders­tand that the matter is a question of resources for the union. Still, we should strive to find ways to make it easier to access infor­ma­tion. The fact that the collec­tive agree­ment is available in Finnish helps greatly. Many people could also be interested in study oppor­tu­ni­ties and courses offered by the union, but nearly all are in Finnish and seasonal workers may not have the time for them.

While I have not faced discri­mi­na­tion at work, it would be easier to get things done as a Finnish speaker.

It’s hard to say how to get more foreig­ners to apply to positions of trust. Recently, a course for shop stewards was held in English for the first time at Murikka Insti­tute, which I was really happy to see.”

“It’s worth talking about the benefits of the union even on free time”

“Some cowor­kers have asked me why I give a part of my pay to the union, saying that the money is wasted and that there’s no need for unions.

I see the membership as a form of insurance. The membership subsc­rip­tion is not that high, and the union gives me support when I need it. I have also received assis­tance in dealing with the emplo­y­ment autho­ri­ties when I was unemployed.

I started as a temp agency worker at ABB last year. I would prefer to be employed directly. That way, I would get better pay and my emplo­y­ment would be more secure. Previously, I worked at Valmet Automo­tive in Uusikau­punki as a direct employee. There, I joined the Industrial Union when my department’s shop steward told me about the union. I probably wouldn’t have joined otherwise.

It is a good idea to talk about the benefits of the union to those who are not members, inclu­ding outside work and on free time, such as in the sauna or on a picnic. Many people believe their friends’ and acquain­tances’ word more readily than strangers.

Many people believe their friends’ and acquain­tances’ word more readily than strangers.

I have a great deal of love for Finland. I’m from Nigeria and moved here in 2008. I initially lived with a Finnish family in Valkea­koski and learned a lot from them about the Finnish way of life.

Admit­tedly, there’s a lot of racism here. For example, I’ve been called the N‑word at a shopping centre. I stayed calm and told the man thank you very much,  which made him furious. A woman went to tell the security guard, and the man was escorted out. Even in working life, some managers treat immigrants worse than Finnish employees.

The best things about Finland are the peace and quiet and the fact that not everyt­hing revolves around money. It’s also safe here. There is no gap between the rich and the poor as in many other count­ries, such as the United States or the United Kingdom.”

“Conver­sa­tions with shop stewards are important”

“I’ve worked at Kone for 35 years, almost the entire time I’ve lived in Finland.

My family and I left Vietnam as refugees, trave­ling through Cambodia to Thailand, where we stayed in a refugee camp. I had a wife and a newborn son. After that, we came to Finland. The year was 1988. This has been a good country to live and work in.

I attended a Finnish language course but didn’t learn much. After a year, I started work at Kone, which is where I began to learn Finnish for the first time. If I didn’t know what a word meant, I’d always ask my coworkers.

Sometimes, I’ve been told unplea­sant things because of my immigrant background. But such incidents are rare. Finns are usually friendly and offer help when you ask for advice. But when someone is a racist, I feel that other Finns often stay silent.

If there is no shop steward in the workplace, foreig­ners may feel that it isn’t worth it to join a union.

I joined the Metalwor­kers’ Union right away in 1989 because I thought it was manda­tory for emplo­yees. Later, I came to unders­tand the benefits of the union after speaking with shop stewards. Such conver­sa­tions are very impor­tant to foreig­ners. Better than watching the news, they help you unders­tand what is going on in the workplace and society as a whole. Written Finnish is difficult, but the spoken language is easier.

If there’s a problem of any kind, you can go and take it up with the shop steward. But if there is no shop steward in the workplace, foreig­ners may feel that it isn’t worth it to join a union. Many people find the idea of calling the union yourself to resolve an issue difficult.

I’ve been involved in the local branch in Hyvinkää and stood as a candi­date in the Union Congress elections. But I felt that I don’t speak Finnish well enough to talk about complex topics. Perhaps the union could organise Finnish courses if there’s a desire to get more people of immigrant background in positions of trust.”

Read the article in Finnish!