Thai migrant workers demand action as berry-picking hardships in Finland go unheard

Thousands of Thai workers have been lured to Finland and Sweden over the past decade with promises of earning thousands of dollars to pick wild berries

Instead, they were faced with inhumane working and living conditions, and rarely received the money they were owed, advocates say

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Thousands of Thai workers arrive in Finland and Sweden every year only to face inhumane working conditions, advocates say. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:00pm, 6 Nov 2022Updated: 2:45pm, 6 Nov 2022

It has been almost 10 years, but Praisanti Jumangwa, 53, still recalls the events in 2013 when he worked as a berry picker in Finland.

“A recruiter came into the village and said everyone would be paid between 100,000 and 200,000 baht (US$2,660-US$5,320) in exchange for two months of picking wild berries there,” said the Thai cassava farmer, who worked in the Nordic country between July and October that year.

He had a feeling it was too good to be true, but the salary was irresistible. The annual income for an agricultural household in Thailand is about 400,000 baht (US$10,500).

“Before we went we had to put down 73,000 baht (US$1,944) in advance for expenses. I was cheated even before I started working,” he said. “But we all knew working for two months in Thailand couldn’t get us anywhere near the promised salary.”

I worked from 4am to 11pm, which is when daylight lasts in Finland

Teerasak Pakdinopparat, Thai migrant worker

Such promises have lured tens of thousands of Thai workers to Finland and Sweden the past decade to pick wild berries. Workers’ accounts have been reported by both Thai and Finnish media, but for Praisanti and many others, justice has not yet been served. Many are still owed money and recruiters have never been brought to justice while job agents continue to send people to work overseas.

Thai migrant workers demand action as berry-picking hardships in Finland go unheard

Thousands of Thai workers have been lured to Finland and Sweden over the past decade with promises of earning thousands of dollars to pick wild berries Instead, they were faced with inhumane working and living conditions, and rarely received the money they were owed, advocates say

Thousands of Thai workers have been lured to Finland and Sweden over the past decade with promises of earning thousands of dollars to pick wild berries

Instead, they were faced with inhumane working and living conditions, and rarely received the money they were owed, advocates say