Tekijä (04.02.2026 - Heikki Jokinen) Some 12 per cent of the labour force in Finland are of foreign background. In the Industrial Union, the percentage is four. Now, the union is working determinedly to reach out even further and organise all workers with a foreign background.
Unfortunately, labour exploitation occurs now and then among workers with a foreign background. For a trade union fighting this is a key priority. In this work, it is essential to be able to reach workers in the various workplaces and face-to-face.
The union office does not have all the language skills needed, nor the daily contacts in workplaces to extend its reach broadly enough to workers with a foreign background. For this reason, the union is asking its members to help with a low-threshold activism.
Since 2025, the Industrial Union has been recruiting Union Envoys. They are voluntary union members with an interest in defending the rights of workers with a foreign background, raising their knowledge of the working life rules and recruiting more members. All union members are very welcome to join the work, regardless of their national background.
There is no list of obligatory tasks or requirements for Union Envoys. One can define the activity in a way that suits him or her best. Union Envoys are voluntary people who decide themselves how much time they spend and what kind of activities they join.
The Union Foreign Labour Unit supports Union Envoys. They will suggest various ways to act depending on the Union Envoy's own interests and skills. There are two-hour online training courses for Envoys. In 2025, these courses were run in five languages: Finnish, English, Ukrainian, Russian and Estonian.
The Union provides materials and guidance for the Envoys, as well as an online forum for networking and exchange of ideas. An annual gathering will take place, too. The Teollisuusliiton Hermes app helps in nine languages.
If you are interested in becoming a Union Envoy, or if you have further questions, send a message at .
What can a Union Envoy do?
Being a Union Envoy For me, membership in the union has been a part of integrating into Finland, says Michał Kulka-Kowalczyk. He lives in Turku and works with newspaper delivery. He joined the Union Envoys among the first ones at the end of 2025.
Kulka-Kowalczyk stresses the importance of explaining about the union. In this work, the union members should take responsibility, spread the message and recruit new members.
- It might be difficult for an immigrant to find information. To join the union is not the first thing immigrants hear.
Immigrants arrive from a wide variety of societies and cultures. Finnish trade unions and their role are not familiar to everyone.
- Many people believe they are members of the union, though they are only members of the unemployment fund. It is important to talk about the differences between these two and why it is worth joining the union.
As a Union Envoy, Kulka-Kowalczyk will spread information and recruit members. He is ready to help, for instance, by checking the texts translated into Polish.
- The activity need not be organised. It can be a discussion in a bar or presenting the Teollisuusliiton Hermes app.