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New booklet and telephone advisory service to prevent abuse of seasonal workers and other persons arriving in Finland for work

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
Publication date 15.6.2021 14.20 | Published in English on 22.6.2021 at 13.42
Press release
Kuva mansikkakorista poimijan käsissä.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy publishes a booklet for workers arriving in Finland on employees’ rights and who to contact for help while also launching a multilingual advisory service for seasonal workers arriving from abroad.  

The Working in Finland booklet explains the terms of employment followed in Finland and advises what employees should do if they are exploited at work. The booklet also contains links to organisations that provide help to workers.

Designed in collaboration with Victim Support Finland (RIKU) and other stakeholders, the booklet is written in plain language and will be published in Finnish, Swedish and English as well as Russian, Ukrainian, Nepalese and Thai. RIKU is also responsible for operating the telephone advisory service. 

– Everyone working in Finland is entitled to fair treatment. The new booklet and service provide easily accessible advice and assistance to seasonal workers and other persons arriving in Finland for work, Minister of Labour Tuula Haatainen emphasises. 

Booklets to be handed out with residence permits

Printed booklets will be handed out by Finnish diplomatic missions and the Finnish Immigration Service to workers with a residence permit or seasonal work permit, for example. The booklet is also available online as a browser version and in a printable PDF format.

The telephone advisory service will be open on weekdays from June 17 until 10 September. The service is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and provides advice in Russian, English, Finnish and Swedish over the phone and by instant messaging. If necessary, an interpreter is provided for other languages. 

The telephone service is intended especially for foreign workers who suspect that they have been exploited at work. Workers are advised on matters such as lawful terms of employment, living conditions and hygiene standards, and available legal remedies. With the worker’s permission, the matter can also be transferred to a competent authority for further investigation. 

The number for the advisory service is +358 (0)40 6641707 or help(at)riku.fi. The service is also available online on the RIKU website (address down).

Work is seasonal, rights are not

The European Labour Authority’s (ELA) campaign #Rights4AllSeasons was launched on 15 June throughout Europe to raise awareness about the rights of seasonal workers. 

– Work may be seasonal, but workers’ rights are not. The #Rights4AllSeasons campaign informs about the rights of seasonal workers, helps employers meet their obligations, and seeks to ensure fair working conditions across the EU, the ELA reminds us. 

In Finland, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and a wide range of authorities, employers’ organisations and other stakeholders participate in the campaign by the ELA. 

Inquiries: 

Working in Finland booklet: Senior Specialist Tero Mikkola, Ministry of Employment and the Economy, tel. +358 29 5047290, email tero.mikkola(at)tem.fi
Advisory service: Government Counsellor Olli Sorainen, Ministry of Employment and the Econ-omy, tel. +358 29 5048022, email olli.sorainen(at)tem.fi
Advisory service: Senior Specialist Pia Marttila, tel. +358 40 6309669, email pia.marttila(at)riku.fi                                ELA campaign, Senior Specialist Laura Perheentupa, tel +358 295 064940, email laura.perheentupa(at)tem.fi
 

 
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