Berry businesses: foreign berry-pickers' travel expenses will be reflected in price of products

Some companies plan to defy ministry directive

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The Ministry for Foreign Affairs visa directive with regard to the payment of expenses of foreign berry-pickers has met with heavy criticism from the berry businesses. At least some of the companies plan to defy the directive.
      Finland’s Minority Ombudsman Johanna Suurpää recommended that companies inviting berry-pickers to Finland would have to pay the pickers’ expenses, including travel tickets, accommodation, and working tools.
      The idea was to ensure that none of the berry-pickers would have to return home indebted after having worked in Finland.
     
Under the traditional Finnish legal concept known as everyman's right, berry picking is exempt from taxes, but the taxman might become interested if a company started covering its workers’ travel expenses, says managing director Tommy Gustafsson of Riitan Herkku, a food supplies companies that exports Finnish forest berries to various foreign countries.
      "We will not comply with the directive. It is only a recommendation. We plan to invite berry-pickers from Thailand as before."
      Last year the company invited around 500 berry-pickers from Thailand.
      "The Minority Ombudsman’s suggestion means well, but in practice it would have devastating effects for the whole branch”, says managing director Vernu Vasunta of Kiantama Oy, another berry company.
     
In Vasunta’s view, the added expenses would inevitably be transferred to the price of berries.
      “Or the picker price would have to go down.”
      Last year Kiantama Oy used 270 Thai berry-pickers.
      “A few of them went back home mid-season and complained later that they had not accumulated enough money through the berry picking.”
      According to Vasunta, this was because last year’s yield was weak. Some of the pickers had also overestimated their abilities as berry pickers, Vasunta reckons.
      “Nevertheless, our end-of-season result was record-breaking, and those pickers who stayed until the end received a proper compensation”, Vasunta adds.
     
According to Vasunta, the problem lies with the corrupt nature of the Thai travel arrangers.
      In the autumn the Finnish berry businesses suggested to various ministries the setting up of a working group to solve the problems with foreign pickers.
      “So far none of the ministries has expressed interest in such a working group”, Vasunta regrets.
     
Next summer it will be forbidden to invite berry-pickers who are on the payroll of a foreign labour leasing company.
      The purpose of the ban is based on suspicion of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
      “This is a step into the right direction. One link from the chain will be removed”, Vasunta says.
      According to Henri Isohätälä from Kasvishovi Oy, nowadays only five per cent of Finland’s annual berry yield is picked by Finns.
      “Today we would simply not survive if we had to rely on domestic workforce alone.”


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Berry processing companies must pay pickers´ expenses (21.1.2010)

Links:
  Riitan Herkku
  Kiantama

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