Working Against Exploi­ta­tion – “A Union Member Never Has to Fight Alone”

The exploi­ta­tion of foreign workers at Finnish workplaces has made headlines. On 27 September, STT reported exploi­ta­tion, such as exces­si­vely long workdays and unpaid wage supple­ments, committed by subcont­rac­ting compa­nies at the Turku shipyard.

A book by reporter Paavo Teittinen, Pitkä vuoro – kuinka moderni orjuus juurtui Suomeen (”The Long Shift – How Modern Slavery Took Root in Finland”), was published on 29 September. In it, Teittinen writes about a widespread culture of exploi­ta­tion and gives numerous examples.

Riikka Vasama, the head of the Industrial Union’s Foreign Labour Unit, says that the union’s message is clear: exploi­ta­tion of any kind is unaccep­table, and work is constantly being done to combat the phenomenon.

– We struggle with issues like these every day. Even though our workdays are already filled with cases, we feel that we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg, Vasama says.

Exploi­ta­tion beneath the surface can be addressed when workers with a foreign background join the Industrial Union, speak about their experiences and trust the union’s help.

– Be brave and join the union. A union member never has to fight alone. The Industrial Union is a strong actor through which members encoun­te­ring problems in working life can get their voices heard.

Even though our workdays are already filled with cases, we feel that we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

Vasama under­lines that all commu­nica­tion with the union is confi­den­tial. Issues are only acted on with the member’s permission.

– We recom­mend repor­ting any obser­va­tions to us so that we can assist the autho­ri­ties in preven­ting labour exploi­ta­tion and influence the develop­ment of legis­la­tion. Change is possible.

SUPPORT AND LEGAL AID

A member of the Industrial Union gains access to all the union’s services. The union’s assis­tance ranges from simple advice on work-related questions to, in extreme cases, long legal battles in the courts.

Prima­rily, legal aid may be granted to those, who have been union members for at least 3 months before the events that have led to the legal issue. If legal aid is granted, the union will cover all costs of the legal process. This means that there is no monetary risk for the member, and the member receives any possible compen­sa­tion awarded by the court in full.

– It’s a good idea to join the union well ahead of time and not when the problem is already at hand, Vasama says.

In problems related to emplo­y­ment relations­hips, a worker with a foreign background may contact the Occupa­tional Safety and Health Admini­stra­tion, the Finnish Immigra­tion Service and the police. For those unfami­liar with the Finnish system, finding the correct autho­rity can be difficult.

– All of this can be taken care of together with the union, once you’re a member.

The autho­ri­ties cannot help with all work-related problems.

– For example, the Occupa­tional Safety and Health Admini­stra­tion will not demand unpaid wages from the employer. Non-members have a lower level of legal protection.

LEGISLATION TOO LENIENT

Decision-makers and autho­ri­ties have a lot to do in order to make the Finnish labour market fairer than it is now. Sanctions for breaking the law and other rules should be harsher, and more resources should be allocated to monitoring.

– Tougher laws on labour market crime are absolu­tely needed. The current legis­la­tion is much too lenient on these issues, Vasama says.

One weakness of the law concerns wages. In Finland, it is not a punis­hable offence to leave wages unpaid. It is possible to demand payment through the courts, but there are no sanctions for the employer if their actions do not meet the legal charac­te­ris­tics of usury, for example.

– Throug­hout the years, I have come across decision-makers and emplo­yers downplaying the pheno­menon, Vasama says.

Every­body needs to recog­nize that this is a widespread pheno­menon, and that action needs to be taken.

The number of publicized instances makes it clear that labour exploi­ta­tion is no longer a matter of rare, isolated cases.

– Every­body needs to recog­nize that this is a widespread pheno­menon, and that action needs to be taken.

There have been some impro­ve­ments to the legis­la­tion in recent years. A victim of exploi­ta­tion or major neglect by the employer may now apply for an extended residence permit that allows working in any field of work. Previously, a victim of exploi­ta­tion ran the risk of ending up with nothing when repor­ting abuse, as the emplo­y­ment relationship, on which their residence permit was based, came to an end.

– It is fortu­nate that legis­la­tive changes such as this have been made in recent years. However, residence permits of this type are not applied for very often, Vasama says.

THE PHENOMENON AFFECTS EVERYONE

Labor exploi­ta­tion affects virtually all sectors of the economy. There have been visible problems on shipy­ards and in the forestry, agricul­ture, horticul­ture, forest berry picking and construc­tion sectors, among others.

– The risk factors vary between sectors. For example, in shipbuil­ding and forestry, long subcont­rac­ting chains consti­tute a risk. It is impor­tant to strengthen the obliga­tions and liabi­li­ties of the main contractor, Vasama says.

The story of Ukrai­nians fleeing the war and ending up exploited in the Finnish labour market is a dark one. However, labour exploi­ta­tion is an older pheno­menon and not limited to certain natio­na­li­ties. Trampling on the emplo­y­ment condi­tions of workers with a foreign background makes the situa­tion of every­body working in Finland worse.

– Exploi­ta­tion concerns all natio­na­li­ties. The risk if greater when workers lack language skills or knowledge about Finnish working life.

Becoming an active member in the union provides a chance to influence the union’s activi­ties, the labour market and society in general.

– The union educates its members. Through the union, you can become a conscious actor as well as network and make friends, Vasama says.

Read the article in Finnish!