Finnish trade union confederation says Estonian workers treated badly in Finland

SAK would give up interim period for free movement of labour

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According to a labour market advisor of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) working in the Estonian capital Tallinn, poor treatment of Estonians working in Finland is an everyday occurrence.
      "Every week, Estonians come to our advice centre, saying that they have experienced astounding treatment while working in Finland", says Eve Kyntäjä, head of the information centre run by SAK and other Finnish trade union organisations.
      The information centre, which has operated in Tallinn for two and a half years, gives Estonians information and advice about the Finnish labour market and the rights of workers in Finland.
      More than 5,000 people have visited the office so far, and about 3,000 have made contact via the Internet.
     
Kyntäjä says that the most typical abuses involve Estonians who work in Finland through a temp agency, and are not granted mandatory compensation for working on Sundays and holidays, or for overtime.
      Wages have been paid that are below the statutory minimum, and in the worst cases, workers have not been paid at all.
      Kyntäjä says that the problems are most frequent in agriculture and construction.
     
Matti Tukiainen, SAK’s head of member services, was in Tallinn on Tuesday. He indicated that the SAK could change its position on the present interim period that is now in force before Estonians can have full access to the Finnish labour market.
      The SAK has been a staunch supporter of the interim period, during which time citizens Estonia and a number of other new EU member states would not have full access to the Finnish labour market.
      Tukiainen said that the SAK could agree to lifting the period early if certain new rules are enacted. One of these proposed rules would make companies who use the services of temp agencies responsible for seeing to it that the rights of the workers are respected.
      The other requirement would be to allow trade unions to complain about violations of a worker’s rights if a foreign employee, for instance, is afraid to do it on his or her own behalf.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finns active in shady construction business in Estonia (7.12.2004)
  Estonia's six months in EU have brought no massive changes for Finland (2.11.2004)
  Estonian immigrants are better off in Finland than those from Russia (14.10.2004)

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