Self-Defense for International Researchers
The traditional labor
union slogan
“know your rights”
is still topical also in
the university sector.
All too often,
university staff members and grant
researchers remain unaware of
their rights and have little knowledge
of the kinds of action they are
entitled to take when problems
arise. Sometimes they may even
be purposefully kept in the dark
about such matters, which may
expose them to exploitation that
goes undetected. For foreign researchers
arriving in Finland such
problems are often acute, as their
situation is further aggravated by
the linguistic barrier. This is an
area where the Trade Union can
step in and offer its help.
One of the principal lines of action
of the new FUURT coordination
group for international researchers
is precisely to reach out and provide
direct advise to the prospective
audience. The groundwork is performed
through practical information
sessions, which are designed to
provide the international researchers
with the necessary knowledge
of their rights as academic professionals
and as full members of the
Finnish academic community. In
practice, this means telling the
people how they can best fend for
themselves and who are the parties
they can rely on.
These sessions, known as “Academic
Self-Defense Courses”,
have already been organized in
English at the University of Tampere,
and comparable events have
also been arranged in Helsinki.
The new FUURT coordination
group aims to make these sessions
nationwide. Two Self-Defense
Courses were organized for the
international researchers at the
University of Eastern Finland in
March, both at the Joensuu and
Kuopio campuses. The key role in
the organization of both sessions
was played by a local researcher
and a member of the FUURT coordination
group, the sociologist
Marta Choroszewicz. The content
was produced by the local chief
shop steward Antero Puhakka in
cooperation with the Union representative
Riku Matilainen and the
lawyer Mia Weckman.
Both sessions were successful,
and revealed a definite need
for practical information within
the international community. Approximately
forty people attended
both sessions. The overwhelming
majority of the participants were
early-stage professional researchers
working on their doctoral theses,
both salaried employees and
people working on a grant. There
were also people whose work was,
at the moment, without funding
and who therefore were out of
work. A slight majority of the participants
in Kuopio were salaried
employees and members of the
university staff, whereas in Joensuu
the distribution was more even.
Consequently, during the Kuopio
session, information on work-related
rights and the duties of shop
steward were emphasized, whereas
in Joensuu many researchers also
required knowledge on their rights
regarding social security. Since this
data is not always provided by the
authorities in simple, easily accessible
English-language packages,
the Union did its best to fill in the
gaps within this area.
Most importantly, the sessions also
provided the Union with an opportunity
to glean information on
the various problems which are
characteristic to foreign researchers.
Residence permits, visas and
other bureaucratic subtleties pertaining
to immigrant status are
a constant source of problems
to those international academic
professionals who have settled in
Finland from outside the EU. The
prevalence of short, fixed-term
contracts particularly among early-
stage researchers often leads
to the accumulation of problems.
Even in those situations where the
contract will almost certainly be
renewed or a new grant will probably
be received, the official uncertainty
of labor situation makes
the renewal of visas and residence
permits a redundant and recurring
practice. The structural category
of non-citizens is regrettable
reality also among the foreign
researchers, and in the eyes of
the public authorities, academic
professionals are inevitably in
separate categories depending on
whether they have arrived from
the EU or non-EU countries.
Discussion at both sessions
was very vivid, and the participants
were bursting with questions,
which were met with quick,
professional and effective answers
from the Union representatives.
One especially significant issue
in the sessions was to familiarize
the international researchers with
the Finnish shop steward system
and services. Unawareness of the
intricacies of the Finnish labor
practices often makes foreign researchers
reluctant to seek the assistance
of their shop steward. In
some cases this seems to be due to
the fear that consulting the union
representative would label people
as troublemakers in the eyes
of the employer. Antero Puhakka
stressed the role of the shop steward
as an advisor and a mediator
who has professional relations
with the university staff, who
knows the ropes and who can provide
invaluable help to the members
of the university community.
The availability of the shop
steward services alone provides a
good incentive for international
researchers to join the Union.
The Self-Defense Courses will continue
as a regular practice also in
other universities across the country.
New sessions are planned for
the coming autumn in Jyväskylä
and Helsinki. With the number
of international researchers on
the increase, it is important to
get in direct touch with prospective
members and foster activity
among the emerging international
communities in the Finnish universities.
text Jussi Jalonen
Historian, coordinator of the Network of
Foreign Researchers of FUURT
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