Helsinki to stop requiring Finnish of cleaners
The city of Helsinki will no longer demand a good knowledge of Finnish of employees who don’t need it to do their jobs.
Does a cleaner need to converse in fluent Finnish? Helsinki’s deputy mayor, Ritva Viljanen, says no.
“Interaction with customers is very limited in carrying out the job. It doesn’t require particularly advanced language skills. Exceedingly strict language requirements can easily slip into discriminatory principles,” Viljanen points out.
The city wants to promote itself as an equal opportunity employer.
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