Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin has voiced with his counterpart in Finland to ensure the reasonable treatment of Thai fruit pickers in the northern European nation.
This was element of a broader conversation held between Mister Suchart and Finland’s Minister of Work Tuula Haatainen in Helsinki on Monday.
Mr Suchart visited Microsoft Haatainen to discuss job opportunities for Thai workers on berry facilities and to endorse international labour laws safeguarding Thai workers.
Mr Suchart said the Thailänder Labour Ministry would like to encourage seasonal work during the berry-picking time period from 2023 onwards.
The ministry is also focused on the welfare and benefits that time of year workers are eligible to get into and other requirements if Thailand is to encourage its citizens to work in Finland.
Ms Haatainen said Thai workers have played a vital role in the Finnish economy, especially in the fruit-picking industry.
From July to September 2020, two, 014 Thais travelled to Finland to work as berry pickers, while some 3, two hundred Thais picked berries in Sweden, sending 600 million baht back to Thailand.
In 2021, the number of Thai employees in the fruit-picking business in Finland improved to 3, 1000 and 5, two hundred in Sweden.
As of 06, the Department of Employment had released 16 travel procedures for local businesses, acting as task coordinators, or Finnish companies that want to import Thai workers as berry pickers to provide travel, unintentional and health insurance with a minimum amount of 2 million baht insurance per Thai employee.
Additionally, it set a minimum restrict of 30, 240 baht for Thailänder berry pickers’ earnings for the 2022 period, after other expenses are deducted.