employment information for foreigners in 14 different languages
Occupational safety and health authorities have published a guide for foreign workers in 14 different languages. The guide provides key information on employee rights such as working hours, pay and holidays. The purpose of the guide As a foreign worker in Finland is to increase the awareness of foreigners about the key conditions of employment and to combat the exploitation of labor. The guide will also be distributed to Ukrainians who have arrived in Finland.
“The guide is a concise way to find basic information about employment in Finland. The guide is also useful for foreign-speaking employers, ”the Inspector explains Juulia Vihervirta From the Occupational Safety Division of the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland.
The guide allows employees to identify if their employment is not in compliance with the law or a collective agreement. The guide provides examples of minimum wages for cleaning, cooking, construction, gardening and farming. It explains working hours in Finland and how overtime pay is calculated. The guide also covers topics such as a person’s right to work and where to get help in problem situations.
“Unfortunately, our inspections often reveal that the generally applicable collective agreement is not being followed with regard to pay. Many foreign employees are not even aware of the collective agreement in their field, ”says Vihervirta.
The Occupational Safety and Health Authority hopes that the guide will reach as many people as possible
The guide is published in the following languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, Estonian, Russian, Romanian, Chinese, Kurdish, Hindi, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Thai, Nepali and Bosnian. This year, the guide will also be published in Arabic. The guide is distributed to employees in connection with, for example, occupational safety and health inspections. A printable version of the poster has also been made.
“We hope public services and organizations will put up the poster. In this way, as many foreigners as possible become aware of the guide and their rights at work, ”says Vihervirta.
“Now it is important to inform the Ukrainians who have come to Finland about the guide, because some of them will probably want to work soon. We brought posters and brochures in Ukrainian and Russian, among other things, to the service point set up for Ukrainians.”
All language versions of the guide and the printed poster can be found on the website of the Finnish Agency for Safety and Health at Work www.tyosuojelu.fi/work-in-finland.
Source: Occupational safety and health