Helsinki (21.09.2009 - Juhani Artto) Service Union United PAM had, at the end of 2008, almost 3,600 rank and file members whose mother language was other than any of the domestic language in Finland: Finnish, Swedish or Sami. Russian speakers represented the largest foreign language group, with 1,112 members.
The other large language groups were made up of Estonian speakers (655 members), English speakers (448), Thai speakers (125) and Chinese speakers (120). In PAM more than 50 languages were spoken as mother tongues.
Members, coming from a foreign background, represented less than 1.7 per cent of the union's total membership (213,380) but the union regards defence of their rights as very important. New evidence of this became public in August when the union approved its first immigration policy programme.
In it the union systematically registers what it has, since its grounding in 2000, done and what now are the central tasks in defending the rights of the immigrant labour.
"Regardless of the reasons for immigration, the starting point must be human and equal relations for immigrants", as outlined in PAM's programme.
Another important definition is this: "The primary challenge is to employ unemployed and under-employed Finns and the immigrants who already live in Finland." However, noteworthy as that it is, simultaneously, PAM is not against the arrival of more immigrant labour in Finland.
But the condition is the same collective agreements and official regulations must apply to immigrant labour as to the Finns. There is the need to enlarge the rights of trade unions to safeguard the interests of immigrant labour, PAM stresses. Concretely, PAM, together with other Finnish union organisations, demands changes in the legislation to allow the unions to bring class actions to the attention of the courts.
PAM's daily work for the immigrant labour consists of publishing foreign language materials, the training of PAM's personnel and shop stewards in immigrant labour issues and organising foreign-background employees. PAM estimates that over 16,000 immigrants work in the private service sector. Thus less than one in four has joined PAM.
PAM's serious attitude towards the interests of immigrant labour is evidenced by the fact that almost 20 per cent of disputes (with employers) where PAM has defended the interests of its rank and file members have concerned members who have a foreign background.