VRJ Länsi-Suomen leivissa has worked in the construction industry for decades
professionals from almost every continent of the world. Thus, the CEO interviewed by RT's spokesperson Henrik Bos the interest in the range of nationalities is a bit surprising. Bos says that his own father is an immigrant who came to Finland from the Netherlands, and at the same time emphasizes that the essential thing about an employee is not which country's passport he has in his pocket, but what kind of tools stay in his hand.
Even at the moment, several employees of VRJ Länsi-Suomen have an immigrant background. For example, being a refugee is still not a factor that opens the door to a company, but the job seeker's educational background, motivation and interest in developing in the field. However, educational institutions in the construction industry have noticed the company's open-minded attitude towards different cultural backgrounds, so directing foreign students specifically to VRJ for internships and job searches has been natural.
Although Henrik Bos emphasizes a person's suitability for the job more than their ethnic background, he is ready to invest in getting a skilled foreign employee in his ranks despite Finland's rigid bureaucracy. There is a considerable amount of paperwork and various notifications to be sent to many parties, and forgetting even one notification can be expensive. Despite the meticulous and time-consuming paperwork, Bos has once had to pay a personal fine, when a single notification form had not been filled in for an employee who has since received Finnish citizenship.
A return ticket to Africa or a Pekka card in hand?
Henrik Bos wants flexibility from the authorities in the way foreign workers and above all unemployed job seekers are treated. Many of those who have recently arrived in the country do not necessarily have any experience in working life at all, so training a person to become a productive worker who earns his own salary for the house is often a long process.
Bos tells the example of five people familiar with working life who, after coming to Finland, got into a five-month training aimed at employment. They spent the first couple of months on the school bench, the rest in training at VRJ. In three months, general working life skills and technical know-how were of course accumulated, but not nearly enough for them to be completely ready for hiring.
- Since society did not offer these boys a more thorough education, and without a place to study or work, all they were waiting for was a return ticket to Africa, so I took the risk and hired them. Despite the fact that none of them were yet ready for independent, productive work, says Bos.
- I would like to raise the question, is the entrepreneur responsible for the integration and fate of these people? Even a few months of additional training or social support for work training would have done wonders and significantly reduced the risk for the company, Bos continues.
Living on welfare is poison
Henrik Bos emphasizes the importance of working life in the integration of immigrants.
- Nowhere else do they integrate into society and local culture as effectively as at the workplace. They mostly spend their free time in their own conditions, among their compatriots. If they are not actively offered educational opportunities and, with them, a path to working life, the danger of marginalization is real.
- At the moment, the problem is that it takes a really long time for an immigrant to find employment, at least several months, even though a job is usually a prerequisite for staying in the country and adapting, Bos emphasizes.
Bos considers bureaucracy to be an obstacle to employment, not the attitudes of those responsible for company recruitment. In many companies, hard workers from outside our borders and those who respect their work would also be welcomed, but the employment contract systems act as a brake on the matter. Most of the time, the costs related to the necessary training and orientation to the job are so high that the risks of recruitment become too high for companies. Society should support both the employee and the company that employs him for at least six months or even a year.
- According to my own experience, immigrants are used to getting by on their own and find living on social benefits humiliating. The threshold for applying for subsidies is high. Even against this background, investing in supporting employment would be very fruitful, Bos points out.
At VRJ Länsi-Suomi, which specializes in infrastructure and environmental construction, the employees themselves are also committed to familiarization with working methods and tasks. This is perfectly demonstrated by the stonemasons of African descent, of whom there are currently twenty working in the company.
- First we got one good stoneman from Africa, and in his wake came another, whom the first taught the ways and duties of the house. The second was naturally followed by the third and so on, Bos rejoices and sikumennen also mentions that only a few Finns show as much professional pride in the rough work of the construction industry as the immigrants, for whom doing things with their hands is still a blood legacy.
VRJ Länsi-Suomi Oy is one of the largest environmental construction companies in the country. In 2014, the company's turnover was 8,8 million euros. The company annually employs approx. 40 years of male work and during the last year, 15 immigrants or foreign students from eight different countries worked in the company.
The VRJ Group is a national construction multi-industry company. VRJ was founded in 1981 and employs approx. 350 man-years of work. The turnover of the entire group is more than 80 million euros.
Text: Tanja Määttänen, spokesperson, Rakennusteollisuus RT ry
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