The expenses for a seasonal worker's trip to Finland amounted to 5000–6000 euros.
Citizens of Thailand came to Finland to pick berries on borrowed money. Many of them ended up in debt as their earnings were lower than expected.
This is reported in a report by the Kalevi Sorsa Foundation.
Researchers conducted interviews with 410 berry pickers who traveled from the kingdom in Southeast Asia to harvest in Finland or Sweden.
Almost all respondents stated that they ended up in debt after such a trip. Nearly half of them also lost property pledged as collateral for their debts.
Since 2005, tens of thousands of harvesters have come to Finland from Thailand. According to the report, it is likely that thousands of them have fallen into a debt trap over the years.
Employment abroad is a commercial activity in Thailand.
- Traveling to Finland for work involves huge financial risks, as it often requires borrowing funds, - said Minna Seikkula, a researcher at the University of Helsinki.
At the same time, recruitment agencies lured berry pickers from poor rural areas with promises of high incomes in the EU. Harvesters worked 10–20 hours a day without breaks throughout the season. However, in the end, many of them were left with nothing but debts.
The expenses for a seasonal worker's trip to Finland amounted to 5000–6000 euros. In Thailand, logistics and employment fees are usually covered by borrowed funds.
After significant expenses, berry pickers had almost nothing left, even if the harvest was good.
Experienced seasonal workers calculated that after deducting expenses, their income was, at best, around 2000 euros for the season. This is about 700 euros per month. However, according to the pickers, to achieve this, one must pick more than 80 kilograms of berries every day for three months.
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