Thai Embassy issues warning to Sweden-bound berry pickers

[wealth]

... can't help, but I think it is a Thai running a company in Sweden.

As far as I know they require placement agencies by law here in Thailand.

So it's actually approved the way it is ...

Would be good to see details about the placement agencies instead blaming a nation as a whole which is famous for it's wellfare system.

[chooka]

Should read.

Mayamar Embassy issues warning to Thailand-bound workers.

Thailand complains about it's people being exploited abroad, at the very same time it is exploiting people everyday and says it is acceptable.

puff hypocrites of the highest order.

Edited June 6, 2014 by chooka

[spetersen]

In many of these cases Thai ladies married to Swedish men is behind scams like this, They create a company and go to Thai villages and convince hard working Thai people to come to Sweden during the summer months and make a lot of money picking blueberries , lingonberries and mushrooms but the people make the most out of it is this small scamming companies. I know this for a fact , the best for everyone would be for the berry pickers try to come and visit family instead on a three month tourist visa. My wife is Thai and she had her relatives her there times and they also made a decent amount of money to bring back to Thailand.The warning from the Thai Embassy in Stockholm is very valid. My advise is to investigate the job offer very carefully. There is plenty of berrys here and it's enough for everyone, and there is many serious companies that buy the berries and mushrooms.

[claffey]

Why do they have to pay an agent 100k to get a job.

Why can't these agents be removed from the process? Duh....

It costs about 40-50 k for return flights to Sweden so the price isn't that much really considering the potential to earn a lot of money if they meet their quotas...

[kriswillems]

Maybe the Thai embassy should also warn these poor Isaan people about the rice-deal scam Thai government set up ....?

[Tomtomtom69]

You mean they were promised things like certain salaries that never materialized?

Such a shame, because that kind of thing NEVER happens to foreigners in Thailand.

It does, you just cant say anything about it, coz someone may loose face....and don't forget tourism is bouncing back.

Who cares about tourism. Not everyone in Thailand cares about tourism or likes tourists. There's more to life than tourism.

[Tomtomtom69]

Should read.

Mayamar Embassy issues warning to Thailand-bound workers.

Thailand complains about it's people being exploited abroad, at the very same time it is exploiting people everyday and says it is acceptable.

puff hypocrites of the highest order.

I wonder if the reason that all the low paid jobs in Thailand are done by Myanmar nationals is because all the low paid Thais are off in Sweden picking berries?

[Tomtomtom69]

I picked fruit in Australia,and boy is it hard work in hot condition's,most western country's import labour for this work,as you said skywalker,they would rather sit round taking govt unemployment than do this in the west.

I picked fruit in Australia too, in 40 degree heat of the NSW central west during early summer no less. I had no problems doing the work but most of my work colleagues were German backpackers or Vietnamese university students looking to make some money after exams. It's hard work, but if you cover up well (in Sweden cold would be more of a concern but if you're outside all day the sun's damaging rays shouldn't be discounted either no matter the outside temperature) and get your mindset into a bit of a routine it's doable. Normally such work is seasonal so I don't see why it's so hard.

I don't think most urban Thais would last picking berries in Sweden either - the walking part alone would turn most of them off even more quickly than most western youth. It's no wonder then that only poorer, rural Thais, who are quite used to backbreaking work like planting rice would be able to handle such work. Those people are mighty tough.

[davejones23]

Why do they have to pay an agent 100k to get a job.

Why can't these agents be removed from the process? Duh.....

Usually because it's easier to find a job via an agent. That's why they exist in all countries. I worked for 20 years via agencies. I suppose a poor Thai person wouldn't be able to find a job in Sweden themselves. So that is why they need to pay an agent. But it's usual for the agent to take a cut from the employer not the employee. I suppose it depends what these agents do for the money. It does seem excessive, but I doubt any Thais would get the jobs otherwise.

[atsiii]

"Although Swedish authorities offer guarantee for minimum wage of SEK18,975 (THB95,000) per month on condition of a minimum 40-hour work week, many Thais are unaware of the rules, failed to clock up the number of hours required and found themselves unprotected."

If [as the report claims] they start at 3.00 am and work until late at night, how is it that they fail to clock up a 40 hour working week?

I think it's because they may work those hours, but do not know (or are not told) they must document their hours somehow to the government.

[Kasset Tak]

Did I just read yesterday the same about Hawaii and Thai Citizens filed suit and won from five companies in Hawaii ? Guess it is time to move the suit to Sweden, I have always held the Swedens in high replact, I am suprised about this.

With reference to the post about the Thai Gentleman working in Taiwan, I do respect those people and hold them in much higher regard than their "Main Land Comrades". I wish China would leave them alone. In 1955 Mao was glad to get rid of them and now they are a financial superpower, China says we never let them go, BS !!

First of all, Sweden don't have guarantee salary by law, it's by agreements between the unions and the employers ganizations. For an industry worker the minimum salary is about 18000sek/month this year.

Second I want to say that the companies stoped buying berries after about 1 month last year as their stocks where ful for the year!

This is to compare with a couple of years ago when they didn't get the promised salaries because there where simply no berries to pick in the forests.

The price varies about 8-30sek/kg depending on supply and demand. And last year it was really low price because of alot of berries in the woods.

I don't blame the Thais for this but the amount of berry pickers from other countries coming to Sweden has gone up about 1000% (not only Thai but other Asian countries and from eastern Europe) over the past 10-15 year's but the demand from the factories/companies have not raised that much so there are alot more people who wants a piece of a smaller cookie!

And I don't blame the companies for breaking the contracts... Thai people, companies and government agencies does it all the time with the foreigners working her! My own example: I already had a contract to teach this semester before last semester ended but before the end of the previous contract the school canceled my new contract and hired a Philippino for 15k/month instead! Now I don't complain as I actually got a teaching job that is in my fields of knowledge: accounting and computer.science instead of being a TEFLER!

[tso310]

A yearly story.

Again and again people fall in this trap.

I have seen more than one report/feature about this berry picker topic in the past years.

If these reports are true, there is definitely no minimum wage.

The workers are treated as "independent" contractors and carry the risk of a bad crop.

I certainly remember this same story a couple of years ago or so.

[Alwyn]

95k a month minimum wage, occupational hazards like getting lost in the forest or an encounter with wild bears....!

Is this for real?

Sweden is a small country. We have 3300-3500 Brownbears, in the northen parts of the country there is a lot of widerness, not long ago the found a military airplane from WWII up there.

Sweden is a small country? It's twice the size of the UK and almost as big as Thailand but with only 9.5 million population compared to 68 million Thais and 63 million in UK. Sweden is the 4th largest country in Europe. How is Sweden small?

[solstan]

Did I just read yesterday the same about Hawaii and Thai Citizens filed suit and won from five companies in Hawaii ? Guess it is time to move the suit to Sweden, I have always held the Swedens in high replact, I am suprised about this.

With reference to the post about the Thai Gentleman working in Taiwan, I do respect those people and hold them in much higher regard than their "Main Land Comrades". I wish China would leave them alone. In 1955 Mao was glad to get rid of them and now they are a financial superpower, China says we never let them go, BS !!

Sad to say but the guilty party is back in Thailand where the real contract is written - the company that is hiring is a Thai one and the thing they actually do is supply tickets, visas, food, housing and suggested places to pick the berries.

The buyer gets the service but usually isnt involved at least not directly and thats why the fight for money has to take place in Thailand. When they are in Sweden they already are in debt and if it is a good year and plenty of other pickers they will have to pick and sell a lot for 2 to 3 months to make a profit.

So, best choice - hit a good friend or relative for a long vacational visit to Sweden. That will get you going for about half of the sum the agent wants ... and lower the risk of going broke when you return home. In some areas you might get 3 kinds of berries and also mushrooms to pick and sell.

[Skywalker69]

95k a month minimum wage, occupational hazards like getting lost in the forest or an encounter with wild bears....!

Is this for real?

Sweden is a small country. We have 3300-3500 Brownbears, in the northen parts of the country there is a lot of widerness, not long ago the found a military airplane from WWII up there.

Sweden is a small country? It's twice the size of the UK and almost as big as Thailand but with only 9.5 million population compared to 68 million Thais and 63 million in UK. Sweden is the 4th largest country in Europe. How is Sweden small?

It´s depends what you compare it with, many countrys are bigger than Sweden.

[Bluespunk]

"Although Swedish authorities offer guarantee for minimum wage of SEK18,975 (THB95,000) per month on condition of a minimum 40-hour work week, many Thais are unaware of the rules, failed to clock up the number of hours required and found themselves unprotected."

If [as the report claims] they start at 3.00 am and work until late at night, how is it that they fail to clock up a 40 hour working week?

I think it's because they may work those hours, but do not know (or are not told) they must document their hours somehow to the government.

If that is the case (and it's quite believable it is) surely that should be the focus of this story.

[Traveling Sailor]

Thais scamming Thais. Sad.

[Travel2003]

You wouldn't think that picking berries in Sweden would generate so much interest.

You think it is the berry picking which cause the interest??

[Suradit69]

95k a month minimum wage, occupational hazards like getting lost in the forest or an encounter with wild bears....!

Is this for real?

Probably quite a few TV members will try to elbow their way to the head of the queue for this. They won't even have to pretend to be qualified, as would be the case if they planned to come to Thailand to "teach" English.

[Suradit69]

Why do they have to pay an agent 100k to get a job.

Why can't these agents be removed from the process? Duh.....

Probably for the same reason that criminals in any country aren't removed from the process of doing whatever it is they do to take advantage of people (aka commit crimes). Duh...

Why wasn't Bernie Madoff removed from the process of (pretending to) invest other people's money for decades? Why wasn't Enron removed from the process of (supposedly) investing in energy?

Why aren't people who produce counterfeit dollars or Euros or pounds removed from the process of banking?

None of these people, including the "agents" are conducting legitimate business, but they still make money off the innocent, the gullible and the greedy.

Duh, indeed.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Suradit69

[oldsailor35]

Why don't the Swedish authorities control the berry pickers and stop this rip off.

In Australia casual workers, mostly foreign back packers earn very good money picking fruit , tomatoes etc. However this industry is strictly controlled by the government. Many Koreans come for the strawberry picking and earn good money.

[oldsailor35]

Did I just read yesterday the same about Hawaii and Thai Citizens filed suit and won from five companies in Hawaii ? Guess it is time to move the suit to Sweden, I have always held the Swedens in high replact, I am suprised about this.

With reference to the post about the Thai Gentleman working in Taiwan, I do respect those people and hold them in much higher regard than their "Main Land Comrades". I wish China would leave them alone. In 1955 Mao was glad to get rid of them and now they are a financial superpower, China says we never let them go, BS !!

All Swedish nationals should bow their heads in shame, why does their government allow this to happen.

[oldsailor35]

95k a month minimum wage, occupational hazards like getting lost in the forest or an encounter with wild bears....!

Is this for real?

Sweden is a small country. We have 3300-3500 Brownbears, in the northen parts of the country there is a lot of widerness, not long ago the found a military airplane from WWII up there.

Sweden is a small country? It's twice the size of the UK and almost as big as Thailand but with only 9.5 million population compared to 68 million Thais and 63 million in UK. Sweden is the 4th largest country in Europe. How is Sweden small?

It´s depends what you compare it with, many countrys are bigger than Sweden.

That still does not make Sweden a small country......Duhhhhh !

[Docno]

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Why do they have to pay an agent 100k to get a job.

Why can't these agents be removed from the process? Duh.....

Nice point. Perhaps chalerm might like to answer that question.

No need to make this political unless you understand the broader context. These 'agents' are a scourge in many countries and occupations. For example, maids in Singapore don't actually start making money for themselves until they've worked three months (and then thereafter, only a paltry US$400/month approx). Girls who work in more dodgy circumstances (pubs, massage shops, etc.) pay even larger amounts. Some can work as long as 6 months before they get the first cash to send home. These agents do pair up the girls with employers in a way they could not do themselves, but they sometimes exploit the girls' desperation by charging ungodly amounts for their service. I think -- though I'm not sure -- that Singapore has some rules on these things, but the problem is that the girls make so little money in the first place that even honest say they have take 3 or more months' salary to make a profit themselves. The whole system is exploitative, and it starts with the wages these people are paid...

[boisian]

The 100K Baht agents fee is pretty much average for Thais working overseas whether it be Sweden, Japan, Taiwan, Israel etc. It covers visas, flights and other costs involved in the applicant getting the work.

The Thais generally know the first year is payback and they do not start accumulating funds until into the 2nd and subsiquent years.

TW's brother worked in a tyre plant in Taiwan for 4 years at the end of which he had saved enough to buy 40 Rai of land (now under rubber) and 2nd hand pickup. Came home for about 2 weeks every year.

My GF's sister is in Taiwan at the moment, been there 2 years and making not enough to pay back the bank loans for the recruitment agent and the visa. She cannot afford to come home. The conditions are worse than promised as overtime is not paid like promised. If you have any directions to more reputable places of employment in Taiwan for Thai nationals I would be most appreciative as I would like to pass them on. She is in serious trouble over there, practically indentured and working like a slave. Feel free to PM me

[Travel2003]

I should not be surprised, by all the naïve reactions in this Forum, as most sit home in their room, still living home with their parents.

Surely we should know that this kind of work force come in to the country legally, but the illegal issues will start at a later stage.

Immigration rules and ILO regulations guarantee that.

When it comes to illegal work force.

Most of us who has read one single news paper in our life, surely know about the yanks and their illegal work force within the agriculture (and domestic aid) industry.

Not claiming they are the only doing this.

I guess one day someone will drop a bomb about the seafarers who are exploited as well.

Now there we really talk about complicated rules.

[Skywalker69]

oldsailor35

post #53

Compare to Seychelles Sweden is a big country, compare to Denmark and 55 other countrys Sweden is a small country. I am swedish and to me Sweden is a small country.

[HOAX]

Did I just read yesterday the same about Hawaii and Thai Citizens filed suit and won from five companies in Hawaii ? Guess it is time to move the suit to Sweden, I have always held the Swedens in high replact, I am suprised about this.

With reference to the post about the Thai Gentleman working in Taiwan, I do respect those people and hold them in much higher regard than their "Main Land Comrades". I wish China would leave them alone. In 1955 Mao was glad to get rid of them and now they are a financial superpower, China says we never let them go, BS !!

We already had several cases in Norway about Thais and Philippines working as au pair or berry pickers 4-5 years ago and until recently, of which most of them have won I believe, at leased the cases that have gotten media attention. I doubt this isn`t new in Sweden either.

Young Norwegians used to berrypick themselves as a summer job, and it was very high paid at the time. It was hard work but it was seen as a much wanted job for youngsters that had summerbreak from school. It was like a tradition to many young students. 15 000 Norwegian Kroners (75 000 baht) for 14 days work 15 years ago was standard. It was three times the average wage (9-10 000 NOK/month), that`s why it was a popular job for youngsters. Average wage have increased by 350-400% since then. Today that would easily mean 200 000 - 300 000 baht under the same traditional circumstances. Today they`re hiring cheap workers instead. 75 000 baht for 14 days berry picking is common and is well higher than minimum wage, even though berry pickers today make the same as berry pickers made 15 years ago. The berry picking season lasts for 2-3 weeks during June-July.

The reason why the foreign workers are "only" getting 75 000 baht/14 days is because export have dropped very much and berries are sold cheaper.

[Donk]

Did I just read yesterday the same about Hawaii and Thai Citizens filed suit and won from five companies in Hawaii ? Guess it is time to move the suit to Sweden, I have always held the Swedens in high replact, I am suprised about this.

With reference to the post about the Thai Gentleman working in Taiwan, I do respect those people and hold them in much higher regard than their "Main Land Comrades". I wish China would leave them alone. In 1955 Mao was glad to get rid of them and now they are a financial superpower, China says we never let them go, BS !!

All Swedish nationals should bow their heads in shame, why does their government allow this to happen.

These cranberry and blueberry pickers are employed by staffing agencies Thai from Thailand and the Swedish government has set a minimum salary of about 90,000 Thb. per month. But these staffing companies in Thailnd which usually often run by people from east europe and total disregard of Swedish laws. Often they also refuse to pay Thais nWhen they come home. They are usually some type of mafia organization that uses poor Thai.

[The Blot]

Thai workers are also charged daily expenses, amounting to SEK8,400 per month for food, transportation, lodging by their Swedish contractors...

Say WHAT!!! This is a pure ripoff... Mai dee