Finland

THAI BERRY PICKERS UPSET OVER TAX-FREE EASY PICKINGS NOT COMING WITH STANDARD PAY, REFUSE TO BOARD FLIGHT FOR HOME…….

 

The brunt of this story is, that these workers are earning as much as they can pick (tax-free) and that once here, it did not meet the approval of some these migrant workers, while others picked and made a profit. They’re raising a stink in Central Finland in demanding salaries for work on a ‘berry-visa’.

The CEO claims that the vocal group of berry pickers have performed poorly in their work, as other berry pickers have brought in considerable yields from the same areas that the group claims is devoid of the forest fruit.

Thai berry pickers refuse to leave Finland

YLE: Some 25 berry pickers from Thailand have refused to board their Saturday flight back home. Their employer, Sotkamo-based berry company Ber-Ex Oy said they moved their flight tickets forward to Saturday due to visa issues.

Kari Jansa
Ber-Ex CEO Kari Jansa commented on the berry pickers’ claims. Image: Kaisu Jansson / Yle

A press release issued in the name of the berry pickers in Central Finland says the group will not leave on Saturday, despite the change of date to their return tickets.

In the release, the berry pickers claim that Ber-Ex is trying to put pressure on them as well as denying them their legal rights and compensations. The group also says that actions by the company have violated their human dignity.

Previously the berry pickers expressed outrage over not being able to pick enough berries to earn the sums they were apparently previously promised. The group staying in the Central Finnish locale of Suolahti were concerned they would be unable to pay their debts over travel expenses to Ber-Ex.

The berry pickers and their support group organized a group discussion on Saturday in Suolahti.

Berry company CEO responds

Ber-Ex CEO Kari Jansa has been taken aback by the berry pickers’ claims about his company’s actions.

According to Jansa, the company was obliged to move forward the berry pickers’ return flights, as they were in infringement of visa legislation. The CEO said the Thai workers were in Finland on berry picking visas, and as they now refused to pick berries, his company was obliged to help get them back home.

Jansa also rejected calls to pay set salaries to the berry pickers. He says that they get paid for the kilos of berries picked, and this is tax-free income. Salaries would bring in taxation, lowering the incomes of many berry pickers, Jansa argues.

The CEO claims that the vocal group of berry pickers have performed poorly in their work, as other berry pickers have brought in considerable yields from the same areas that the group claims is devoid of the forest fruit.

This leads Jansa to believe that some of the berry pickers intentionally came to Finland looking for some kind of guaranteed salary.

3 Responses

  1. Why aren’t the unemployed in Finland picking the berries? Why import from Thailand? Makes absolutely no sense at all. The same thing is happening in Sweden. Makes no sense there either and there are a lot of unemployed people there as well. If I were unemployed in either country I’d do the job. A job is a job no matter what!

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