Berry companies face worker crisis as Thai limits visa

Finnish Berry producers are looking to Asian countries in addition to Thailand as Thailand restricted visa for berry pickers following trafficking scandals, national broadcaster Yle reported.

About 2,400 Thai berry pickers came Finland this summer and the number is about 100 lower than the number of last year.

The number was much higher in 2017 when 3,500 visas issued by Thailand in 2017, has left them with a worker shortage.

Earlier, Olli Sorainen, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy's Executive Counselor, told Yle that his department was unable to negotiate additional visas with Thai officials.

Meanwhile, owners of some berry farms said that they are facing shortage of berry pickers and trying to process the visa for more berry pickers from other southeast Asian countries.

In January, 2018 a court sentenced the owner of a berry company to 20-month suspended imprisonment on various charges including human trafficking, fraud and violations of waste management laws.

The central Finland district court awarded the punishment as the allegations of trafficking 26 Thai berry pickers brought against the farm owner were proved beyond doubt.

The court also ordered the convict to pay more than 300,000 euros in damages and legal costs, said the report.

According to the case, the Thai berry pickers had to work 15-hour days and the company owner took a major portion of the earnings of the berry pickers saying that the amount was adjusted with their travel costs to Finland.

The court also imposed ban on holding the post of company director by the convict for three years.

Berry pickers in Finland have been legally regarded as entrepreneurs, and therefore outside the purview of sector-based labour agreements.