Foreign berry pickers to need job contract, residence permit

The government on Thursday submitted a proposal to the Parliament on amendments to Seasonal Workers Act with the view to tighten criteria for foreign berry pickers to arrive in Finland.

The amendments aim to safeguard a sufficient level of income for foreign pickers and improve monitoring to ensure the rights of pickers are realised, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in a press release.

The wild berry sector will be brought into line with other sectors requiring seasonal labour.

In Finland, the picking of wild berries is strongly dependent on foreign labour, especially pickers invited and recruited from Thailand.

Until 2023, pickers came to Finland with a Schengen tourist visa, which allowed them to stay and pick berries in Finland for a maximum of three months.

However, there have been problems in the wild berry sector related to the working conditions and earnings of foreign pickers, exploitation as well as suspicions and charges of human trafficking.

Due to these problems, the government in May outlined that in future the picking of wild berries will be an activity based primarily on seasonal work in an employment relationship.

The government proposal means that picking of wild berries will no longer be equated with tourism.

Instead, companies will be required to employ pickers in a contractual employment relationship to enable them to enter the country.

“A contractual employment relationship will help the authorities to monitor that the rights of pickers are realised. Alongside these legislative amendments, companies in the berry sector must be responsible and ensure fair conditions for pickers while eliminating exploitation,” said Minister of Employment Arto Satonen.

An employment relationship will guarantee the pickers a minimum income. It will also be easier to monitor that the rights of pickers are realised already during the application process for a residence permit and after the entry into the country.

In other words, wild berry pickers would enter Finland under the same conditions as those picking garden berries, for example, and other similar sectors.

The proposed amendments are due to enter into force in early spring 2025. Companies could therefore recruit the labour they need using the new procedure for the 2025 harvest season.

Together, the authorities will take into consideration the experiences of the 2024 harvest season in their preparations for the next season.