When I started in Finland in 2016 as an international student, I understandably had no idea of working life, labour law, or trade unions. More worryingly, when I graduated in 2019, I still didn’t.
Now that I am working at TEK, looking back to that time, it is clear that I was far from the only international student this happened to. While TEK had services and some communication for members, we weren’t reaching well enough the group that possibly needed our help the most.
I am proud that since then, and especially in my almost three years at TEK, the situation has improved. As will be shown this week, we are gaining a far higher percentage of members asking for English, and in turn our services have grown to match the demand. We communicate with and represent our international members in public discussions better than we ever have before. Our research showcases the true situation for those members, and we work on projects to address the issues the data finds.
There still exists a fundamental question though: why are we putting so much work into this? Why should Finnish members also care, when it might at first glance seem not to concern them?
1. Higher union membership.
With growing internationality in our students and workers, if we are to keep having a strong voice in negotiations, they are a group we cannot ignore. Similarly, to continue to do all the actions our members wish us to, we need as many members as we can.
2. The future of the technology sector.
A strong technology sector is needed for all our members, Finnish or international. Fundamentally, this requires that non-Finnish workers can integrate, gain high-quality employment, and be protected from exploitation. There is not the workforce or the talent in Finland without them.
3. Creating a more sustainable Finnish society.
The aging of the Finnish society and the increasing dependence factor is no secret, nor is the need for outside workers to safeguard the future of the welfare state. Immigration brings far more to society than just tax money and workers however. It brings the diversity to let Finland adapt to changes and challenges. It provides the innovation needed for growth. It tells the stories to motivate us to do better.
Finally though, there is a reason that underpins all those others. We do it because as a trade union we have a duty to.
Internationality is not just another topic to care about because Finland needs it, it is something that must be at our core as a trade union. Our role is to protect and support our members, no matter their background.
To find out more, follow our actions this week on our Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.
