The berry pickers

Berry picker/Illustration image Fredrik Karlsson/TT  

 

The berry pickers 

The Thais' alarm: Too little food and twelve-hour shifts every day for two months  

 

Thai berry pickers in Åsele raised the alarm this week about abuses, including that they did not get enough food, long working hours and that they were forced to work despite being ill. This is reported by several media.  

 

Earlier, Eva Norlin, the Equality Authority's regional coordinator against human trafficking, had suspicions that a group of berry pickers had been badly treated. She tells VK that towards the end of the season it is usually discovered that they have not been paid or have been exposed to crime.  

 

- We knew with experience from last year that the last week will be critical, she says.  

 

Earlier this week, she was supposed to meet berry pickers at the cultural center to hear about their situation. Then a man and a woman appeared, who together run a carrier company, and expressed themselves threateningly, according to prosecutor Petra Götell. They are now in custody, suspected of assault in a court case.  

 

 

Berry picker/Illustration picture Karin Grip / SvD / TT 

 

Berry pickers lived among mouse droppings and mold  

 

Berry pickers in northern Västerbotten have lived in homes with suspected mold, moisture damage, lack of ventilation, too cold water in the taps and droppings from rodents. This is reported by SVT Nyheter Västerbotten.  

 

The deficiencies were discovered when Skellefteå municipality's environmental inspectors inspected homes in Burträsk, Renström and Stensträsk. 

 

- This must be fixed, says environmental inspector Emil Arvidsson.