The conflict between the Thai berry pickers and their employers in Sweden and Finland gained renewed attention last week, as several demonstrations took place in front of the UN, ILO and the Swedish and Finnish embassies in Thailand. On 7 February 2024 the berry pickers protested in front of the embassies, claiming they had been cheated out of part of their wages.
According to the organizers, a newly formed network of Thai berry pickers, over 300 workers have not received their rightful wages in spite of several ongoing legal cases in Thailand against companies in Sweden and Finland. The berry pickers demand a more transparent wage system, overtime compensation and for employers to finance the journey of the workers from Thailand to the Nordics.
18 Years after the first Thai berry pickers traveled to Finland and Sweden, there has been a transfer of wealth of 10 billion baht from poor farmers in Thailand to the forest berry industry in Sweden and Finland. That is according to Junya Yimprasert, labor activist from Action for People’s Democracy (ACT4DEM) which is a Thai non Governmental organization.
From when the cooperation started to now, more than 110,000 Thai workers have made the journey. The workers will earn 130,000 – 150,000 Thai baht in two months, which amounts to around 3,600 – 4,100 US dollars.
But when the workers arrive, eager to harvest the fruit of their labor, the berry companies collect big commissions, and living expenses are high for their meager salary, which leaves them with almost no revenue.
Some farmers have taken loans from the Thai Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives or from illegal lenders in Thailand in order to finance their trip to the Nordic countries. The loans can range from 50,000 to 160,000 baht per person. This leaves them in debt, when they return from their berry picker jobs, having the opposite effect of what was hoped for by the impoverished farmers and their families.
Sources: nationthailand.com & dagensarena.se
I thought slavery was banned in the Nordic countries 😉
They are as bad as the employers they try to stay away from down here.
What a shame !!