Several of the employers who have applied for permits to bring in berry pickers from abroad are completely new this year. But according to Hanna Geurtsen, they have previously acted as clients for staffing companies in Thailand – and in that role, they have turned a blind eye to working conditions, above all working hours.
"Remarkable"
That image is not shared by Björn Hellman, CEO of Livsmedelsföretagen.
We do not share the image that they have a bad track record. When our companies have received comments from the Work Environment Authority, they have corrected it. We think it's remarkable that the Migration Agency refers to deviations from previous years.
When the Migration Agency conducts assessments of work permits, an evaluation of the company is made. And then you look back, says Hanna Geurtsen, deputy mission leader for work permits at the Migration Agency.
It is established in all work permit assessments that we should look at the employer. That's why we have looked back at how they previously treated employees.
Demonstrating in Bangkok
Last year, the Migration Agency approved no work permits for berry picking. The year before, the number was over 5,000.
We feel a great frustration that we cannot bring in the Thais. They have demonstrated outside the Swedish embassy in Bangkok because they want to come here but cannot, says Björn Hellman.
He means that now that it is Swedish companies that are hiring the berry pickers instead of foreign staffing companies, the industry has improved.
One will apply everything that has to do with Swedish collective agreements, wage levels, working hours, and insurance terms.
That prognosis is not shared by Hanna Geurtsen at the Migration Agency.
To come now and say that everything is new and now it's Swedish collective agreements that apply is simply to say that one has not had a clue about what has applied in previous years.
I would say that the industry has put itself on the brink of ruin when it has year after year allowed this to continue without taking powerful measures to ensure that working conditions are complied with.
