The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK opens a free advisory service for immigrant employees in Finland.

By providing an employment advisory service free of charge, SAK is seeking to help foreigners and immigrant employees enter the world of work and integrate into society in Finland.

Advisory service lawyer Anna-Liisa Häkkinen will respond to employment-related questions in Finnish and English by telephone and e-mail.

– All immigrants and foreign employees working in Finland may contact the advisory service, which will also advise employees who have not yet joined a union. To integrate successfully, an immigrant has to know the basic principles of the Finnish workplace. Tackling difficulties at an early stage is the best way of stopping major problems from emerging later, Anna-Liisa Häkkinen explains.

Besides providing legal advice to individuals, the service lawyer will advise immigrant organisations on work-related issues and train trade unions and shop stewards in immigration questions.

The employee rights advisory service for immigrants will be open between Monday and Thursday from 09.00 to 11.00 and from 12.00 to 15.00. Telephone 0800 414 004 or e-mail workinfinland@sak.fi.

The SAK advisory service is part of the joint At Work in Finland project, which seeks to develop advisory services promoting immigrant integration and employment. This project is co-ordinated by the City of Helsinki, with support from the City of Espoo, the City of Vantaa, the Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce and the Moniheli association.

The European Social Fund ESF has agreed to subsidise the advisory service until the end of August 2018. Other financiers include Service Union United PAM and the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL.

Information on working life in Finland is also available on the SAK website: www.sak.fi/workinfinland.