A criminal trial concerning aggravated human trafficking in berry picking resumed in Lapland District Court on Tuesday. The case involves leaders of a berry-picking company accused of exploiting workers. One berry picker testified that after gathering 3,500 kg of berries, he received just 115 euros at the end of the season.
The trial features defendant Vernu Vasunta, CEO of the berry firm Kiantama, and his Thai business partner, Kalyakorn “Durian” Phongpit. Both have denied the allegations of 62 counts of aggravated human trafficking. A total of 32 berry pickers are scheduled to testify, either remotely from Finland or Thailand.
During his testimony, the worker described harsh conditions at the picking camps. He expressed that he was always homesick at mealtimes. They were given very little food, often only two salmon heads or two chicken legs. He revealed he lost ten kilos during the picking season, and noted that at first, there were only chubby people, but by the end, there were only skinny ones.
Additionally, the worker recounted being pressured to sign contracts without being allowed to read them. He stated that they were told to ‘sign, sign’ and didn’t have a chance to read the pages of the contract. He saw that others had signed, so he did too. The contract stated they would earn 90 euros per day if they filled ten 10-litre buckets of bilberries or 21 pails of lingonberries.
The hearing highlighted significant discrepancies between the workers’ statements to police and their testimonies in court. With the trial launched in September, it is expected to continue until March 2024. The prosecution aims to hold the defendants accountable while affirming the importance of worker protections in the berry-picking industry.
Human Trafficking in Berry Picking
Source: yle
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