The Government’s harsh measures hit immigrants: ”This isn’t democracy, this is dictatorship”
JHL’s immigrant networks demand Finland’s Government to look for concrete ways of supporting the labour market and immigration.
Many of JHL’s immigrant-origin members are ready to put up resistance to oppose the proposals of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government.
They’re especially bothered by the fact that the Government is not intending to promote immigration or support employees who have already moved into the country. This is contrary to the Government Programme in which the Government regards labour immigration as very important to Finland’s economic growth.
The Government must guarantee us equal rights with other employees.
– In case our tax money and work input are desirable also in the future, the Government must guarantee us equal rights with other employees, states Jörgen Jensen, metro driver and chair of Southern Finland’s immigrant network.
A group of immigrant JHL members discussed the topic in a meeting of immigrant networks organised during the last weekend of November in Helsinki.
Dozens of actives from across the country got together for the training days. JHL’s immigrant networks provide immigrants with peer support and help with working life problems. There are networks around Finland.
Read more: Without immigration, the economy will stall and services will wither
Wendy Savolainen is worried about employees who are in the weakest position and lack citizenship. – Will they dare to fight for their rights if they’re afraid of being expelled in case of unemployment?
Drastic decrease in security
Those who live in Finland on a work-based residence permit are about to face a severe reality. If they lose their job and don’t find a new job within three months, they may be facing expulsion from the country. In addition, the Government is planning an obligation for employers to report about a person’s unemployment to the Finnish Immigration Service.
It’s insane that someone who’s learned the language and worked for a long time will be expelled from Finland.
– It’s insane that someone who’s learned the language and worked for a long time will be expelled from Finland. Children are thrown out of their home and familiar school to a country they may never even have visited, Wendy Savolainen points out. She is a practical nurse as well as mental health and substance abuse work instructor and belongs to Eastern Finland’s immigrant network.
It doesn’t help the situation that one should in the future live in Finland for eight years instead of the current five to become a Finnish citizen.
Jörgen Jensen (front row, on the right) reminds that immigrants pay their taxes and unemployment fund fees like everyone else.
Unreasonable to tie financial assistance to language skills
The Government is in the process of creating a differentiated social security for immigrants.
In the Government Programme, social assistance and labour market subsidy are replaced by integration allowance which will include an incentive and an obligation to integrate. The allowance may be decreased if an immigrant doesn’t participate in language training or pass their Finnish or Swedish final exam within a set period of time.
Tying financial assistance to language is unreasonable.
– We think that one should speak the local language, but tying financial assistance to language is unreasonable, Hassan Haddad says. He is a senior laboratory technician and network active.
Haddad specifies that Finnish is a difficult language to learn, and English is used continuously in many workplaces. This also goes for his own workplace, University of Helsinki. In addition, English is nowadays an official service language for instance in the City of Espoo.
The time of residence required for citizenship will be extended, which directly affects immigrants’ chance to vote, Hassan Haddad (in the middle) points out.
Working life weakenings will also hit immigrants
The country’s Government is planning to cut social security and weaken working life dramatically. They will hit low-pay sectors’ immigrants just like others. According to JHL’s immigrant networks, the Government’s policy brings nothing but misery.
– The Government is urging people to go to work while abolishing the adult education benefit. How can an immigrant get the money needed to study an occupation for him or herself? asks Valli Pruuli, practical nurse and secretary of Southern Finland’s immigrant network.
How can an immigrant get the money needed to study an occupation for him or herself?
According to JHL’s immigrant networks, the Government is intending to even rudely intervene in immigrants’ democratic rights. They think that for instance limiting the right to strike and increasing the time of residence required for citizenship will lead to this.
– This isn’t democracy, this is dictatorship, Pruuli bursts out.
The immigrant networks demand the Government to look for concrete ways of solving the labour market mismatch instead of punishing employees who have already moved into the country.
Valli Pruuli thinks it’s insane if those who work in Finland without being citizens will be expelled from the country in case of unemployment. As an Estonian, she’s protected by her EU citizenship.
– What about others? she asks.
Working life weakenings planned by the Government
- No serious grounds will in the future be needed for firing a person.
- Fixed-term employment contracts lasting one year can be concluded without a justified reason.
- If a sick leave lasts less than five days, the first day is unpaid.
- The right to strike will be limited by, say, increasing strike fines and limiting support strikes.
- The work requirement for earnings-related unemployment security will be extended to 12 months. Earnings-related unemployment security will be graded, it will be cut by 20% after eight weeks.
- Job alternation leave and adult education benefit will be abolished.
- Read more about the weakenings and JHL’s reaction to them.