Ehtram Kaderimanesh, shop steward at Citymarket Iso Omena: Equality in the workplace
Ehtram Kaderimanesh was ten when her family moved to Finland. Photo: Heli Sorjonen
The new shop steward at Citymarket Iso Omena, Ehtram Kaderimanesh, would like to see persons with origins outside Finland being treated the same as other workers. She hopes that the collective agreement negotiations will bring improvements to pay and breaks.
Trust. When the previous shop steward left, there were no obvious candidates coming forward. I had never thought about it before, but a colleague said I might be suitable. I got the feeling that colleagues trusted me and saw something in me. It also felt good when many of them came to congratulate me on being elected - even the retailer and the store manager.
Traininig. I really liked PAM’s training for new shop stewards a lot. It was interesting and we learned a lot in the group work. For example, there were ideas for recruiting new members, which I would like to do.
Breaks. Pay rises are of course an important issue in the ongoing collective agreement negotiations for the retail sector. Another issue that is of interest in the workplace is coffee breaks. They are so short that there’s hardly time to eat, for example. And there are two coffee breaks in a six-hour working day, but not a longer lunch break.
Equality. I would like everyone in the workplace and in working communities to be treated equally, including those born in places other than Finland. The same for everybody.
Weights. Going to the gym is definitely the best hobby that I have with my boyfriend. Luckily many gyms have a kids’ corner, so we can train together after work even though we have two children in our family.
Text:: Marie Sandberg-Chibani