Marjo Mikola

The ABB Oy Drives plant in Pitäjänmäki looks like a big warehouse. There are lots of goods and departments in the huge hall. Mourad Bentaleb, who comes from Morocco, is engaged in compiling an electric cabinet in his workstation. He completed a vocational qualification in electrical engineering in his home country.

– The majority of our workers have a vocational school background. In fact, most of them have studied electrical engineering, says chief shop-steward Hannu Latva-Pietilä while introducing the factory hall.

Since ABB operates in over 100 countries and has clients and partners across the world, multiculturalism isn´t unknown in the company. The ABB Drives plant in Pitäjänmäki has always employed workers from various cultures. Every fifth employee has an immigrant background and our fellow workers come from 30 different countries, Latva-Pietilä relates.

– When I came here as a new worker, my workmates welcomed me in their group straight away, giving advice and guidance. It has been great to work here, Bentaleb praises.

He was first employed in the ABB machine factory in the next building and later in the frequency converter factory where he has been able to work in his own field for seven years.

– It was hard to get work I was qualified for. Unfortunately the recession occurred at the same time when I arrived here 18 years ago. Now I believe I´m going to stay here long, Bentaleb says. He used to do cleaning jobs before.

Safety at work requires language skills

ABB Drives focuses on assembly-line work in the field of power electronics. For instance, frequency converters to be used in paper machines are assembled by the company. With the help of the frequency converters, clients, enterprises and plants operating in process industry regulate the rotation rate of their electric engines. They deploy modules of various sizes, ranging from the size of a palm of the hand to a set of operating panels of several metres.

Safety has to come first in the power electronic factory and the discharges of static electricity onto sensitive electronic components have to be prevented. Even visitors have to wear coats made of material which conducts electricity to some extent. For their own safety, the employees must have a sufficient knowledge of the Finnish language to understand the safety and working instructions in Finnish. It is compulsory for the whole personnel to pass an occupational safety card. Supervision at work is delivered in Finnish.

– In terms of orientating immigrants, the only difference is that those who are willing are given opportunities to go on with their studies of the Finnish language, says personnel manager Anja Kuparinen.

ABB provides their staff with Finnish courses tailored in collaboration with the language trainers of their partners. The employer pays for the courses which are delivered during working hours. However, employees working in three shifts can´t always participate in the course, due to their schedules.

If the new worker has insufficient language skills, a colleague who can speak the language is usually found easily. As many as 30 languages are spoken at ABB. Mourad Bentaleb´s native languages are Arabic and French.

– I gave orientation to my new workmates from the Ivory Cost and Chad in French.

Years ago Mourad Bentaleb attended two Finnish courses of four months, but his work and friends have taught him a lot more.

Incidents of bullying are intervened

ABB has composed a set of global guidelines to support diversity and participation and prevent discrimination in the workplace. Instructions have been adapted to suit the legislation and practices in different countries.

– In Finland, for instance, the company instructions point out how problems can be solved and who to turn to in case an employee is bullied, Anja Kuparinen says.

Mourad Bentaleb hasn´t really come across prejudices in his job.

– After the September terrorist attacks there was something slight, but fortunately the employer cut it short, he praises.

What Bentaleb finds the most important and finest thing in multiculturalism is learning from others. Getting to know people increases understanding and eradicates misunderstandings, he ponders.

– I´ve learnt so much about the Finnish culture from my colleagues because we usually talk a lot while we work.

His workmates have been interested in Bentaleb´s home country and culture.

– When I told a supervisor about our culture, he got excited and took all his family to Morocco on holiday.

Mourad Bentaleb works in shifts, but has free weekends. During the feast-days the factory becomes quiet, but employees work overtime in case of urgency, shop- steward Latva-Pietilä explains. Then work is available to those willing. Bentaleb doesn´t celebrate Finnish feast days and likes to do extra work if necessary. As a matter of fact, he celebrated May Day compiling an electric cabinet.

The company hasn´t had any special arrangements made for their workers coming from various cultures. Bentaleb goes on to explain that he has been able to arrange his time of prayer inconspicuously during his break for lunch.

– Some people tend to think that Muslims are praying all the time. An eight-hour working day usually includes just two times of prayer which last less than two minutes, Mourad Bentaleb points out.

Multicultural sports

Bentaleb would now like to go back to his workstation. The summer is about to start and Bentaleb is giving orientation for the summer trainees. Presently he is giving guidance to Finnish-Italian Simona Palermo, a student at the EVTEK University of Applied Sciences, who is working on the framework of an electric cabinet.

Mourad Bentaleb loves football and spends his free time with his family and engaged in hobbies. He goes in for multicultural voluntary work and coaches a football team in the fourth division.

– When I have a night shift, in the daytime I´m busy chairing FIMu, the Finnish Multicultural Sports Federation.

His employer ABB provides a variety of free time activities and about twenty different clubs with a focus on sports, arts or culture. In the ABB football team Bentaleb plays at the front. The company league has matches once a week.

– I only attack in the football field, he laughs.