Sweden uses Thai for picking berries
In the Netherlands there is a current discussion about admitting Bulgarians and Romanians, but in Sweden people are already a few steps further. There, the government has issued 6000 temporary work permits to Thai farm workers.
At the end of July they were flown to the northern Swedish city of Umea where they are used for berry picking. In two weeks they will fly home with an average of 5000 to 6000 euros net a man. That is four annual salaries in Thailand. The Dutch fruit trader Gerrit Sonder has flown 228 Thai over. He has been buying blueberries and cranberries from Sweden for years because of the high quality. But it became more and more difficult to harvest the berries. “The Swedes used to do that themselves,” says Sonder. “We then had them picked by Poland, but the prosperity in Poland has increased to such an extent that they no longer feel like doing this heavy work in Sweden. We pay the Thai exactly the same amount per kilo and guarantee a minimum wage of 2150 euros per month. They are very happy with it.”
Retirement home
The Thai sleep in a former retirement home in Docksta (not far from Umea). There are beds for everyone, but they prefer to lie on a mattress on the floor. Thai chefs have come along to prepare the meals. As soon as the sun rises, around 5.30:19.00 am, they leave in groups of eight, in minivans into the woods. Looking for good places to pick. Only in the evening at 23.00 pm does the first van return, packed with large bags of berries. The last vans return around 70:240 PM. Each picker ensures that his harvest is transferred into plastic crates. Exactly how many kilos come in is recorded for each picker. There are pickers with 275 kilos, but also one with XNUMX kilos. He has collected a daily wage of XNUMX euros. More than two months salary in Thailand where he works in the rice fields. "That's a lot of money," he says. I do this for my family, because in Thailand I earn little and it is difficult. Here the work is easier, at home we have to work harder.”
Gerrit Sonder is very pleased with the Swedish government that allows the Thai to come to Sweden. “This is unthinkable in the Netherlands, with our regulations. We've tried to find other Europeans to do this job, but they don't feel like it. Not even if we pay more. It's hard work, bending over all day picking berries. Poles no longer want that either.” Source: NOS.nl
Nothing wrong with that, it reads that everyone is happy with this, the Thai, the Swede, and the Dutch fruit trader.
Comparing only the Thai farm workers in Sweden with the Bulgarians and Romanians who have to be admitted to the Netherlands is like comparing apples with pears (just to stay in the fruit for a moment).
The Thai will receive a temporary work permit in Sweden, Bulgarians and Romanians can work in the Netherlands without a permit, so for an indefinite period of time, and I doubt that everyone is happy with that.
Actually illogical that the Swede does not want to do this. Apparently they either have a nice benefit, or the wages are a bit higher than in the Netherlands or Sweden.
With the current aging (?) and unemployment, this says a bit. Seems like a good income for a Dutch person without work.
I don't care who receives what now... but it seems a bit strange.
It all sounds nice, but I also hear stories that people in Thailand first have to pay 100.000 baht for so-called “service” to get this job. That would make the beautiful story something different.
That's right dear Andy, read this piece dd today:
About 50 Thai berry pickers working for the Finnish company Ber-Ex Oy in Saarijärvi, eastern Finland, have filed a human trafficking complaint against their employer.
According to the berry pickers, they were falsely promised high earnings and an employment contract, neither of which turned out to be reality. Because earnings are low, they fear that they will not be able to repay their debts to the company. Kari Jansa, CEO of Ber-Ex Oy based in Sotkamo, denies the allegations.
The police are investigating the case.
Background
It has been the practice for several years now that berry pickers from abroad, especially from Thailand, travel to Finland in the summer months to pick berries. The companies that hire the foreign pickers pay for the tickets and other expenses for the berry pickers, who then pay off these debts with the money they earn from picking.
These practices have led to incidents in Finland several times with locals accusing foreign berry pickers of stealing all the berries from under their noses; everyone is allowed to pick berries anywhere, even on private land, as long as no damage is done. The fact that the approach to berry picking is now more commercial in design causes some skepticism.
This year there have already been several riots between the Finnish population and foreign berry pickers, because the berry harvest this year is disappointing in certain regions.
http://finlandsite.nl/finlandsite/finland/cms/news.php?extend.13551
minimum 2100 euros net for picking berries in Sweden.
I'm sure you can catch enough Dutch people for that too.
In many places you can still earn 1500 euros net even with your school done.
Just a quick reaction from me, my wife just showed me a video on Facebook that appeared today (ดูคลิปอื่นๆ http://www.youclipz.com), from protesting Thai berry pickers in Sweden.
They tell the camera that they had to take a loan in Thailand from the organization M clinic, the loans ranged from 80,000 to 100.000 bath, some have given their house or land as collateral.
They have not yet received a salary because they also have to pay back the flight ticket and accommodation from their salary.
It is also said that someone has already committed suicide because of the debts he had incurred.
They appeal to the Thai government to help them, if all this is true what is being said here then there is simply talk of human trafficking.