How cooperation between authorities promotes the prevention of undeclared work

The network of authorities for combating undeclared work has been operating in Finland for 10 years already. What good has it done in practice? Plenty, says occupational safety and health Senior Inspector Joonas Heinilä. Its everyday benefits range from supervisory work to legislation. Here are some examples: 

Faster response 

The network helps authorities respond to situations quickly if necessary. Thanks to cooperative structures, contacts are not tied to any single person: cooperation continues even if people get switched out. Authorities might ask each other: “I have this kind of target, can you join an inspection the day after tomorrow?”. The inspection might be joined by representatives from bodies such as the occupational safety and health authority, the Police, the Tax Administration, the Border Guard and the Finnish Centre for Pensions.  

Exchanging information more efficiently

The network facilitates information exchange between authorities and provides a forum for discussing the challenges of supervision, such as obstacles to the exchange of information. When ministries are involved, information on such challenges is also directly conveyed to legislators. In fact, the exchange of information between authorities in Finland is fairly effective when compared internationally. For example, Sweden has taken its cue from us in their legislation.

Increased competence

By working together, authorities have developed skills for encountering workers who have been subjected to labour exploitation. Many of them come from countries where people do not trust the authorities.  

Thanks to cooperation, Finnish authorities are better able to detect negligence that is within another authority’s scope of supervision. For example, the Finnish Food Authority might notice mattresses on the floor during a restaurant inspection and note it as a potential sign of human trafficking. Some authorities carry out little or no field supervision, so observations made by other authorities are particularly important. 

More effective inspections

Employers benefit from authorities’ cooperation as well. It saves everyone’s time at work when different authorities do an inspection at the same time. A joint inspection allows authorities to exchange information immediately and to address situations effectively. This is also good for general contractors – they are able to address problems in the subcontracting chain more quickly. Employees, on the other hand, are able to contact just the right authority for help or advice.  

“Together we are more. Finnish authorities have been siloed much worse in the past. Cooperation between authorities eliminates unnecessary boundaries and opens our eyes to the big picture”, Heinilä summarises. 

The European platform against undeclared work celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The network in Finland was established around the same time.  

Read more about cooperation: Grey economy & economic crime (Vero.fi)