The berry season is now almost over and the industry has had the worst summer in many years – despite a good supply of berries.
The explanation is that far fewer Thai berry pickers have been allowed to come here.
Now the industry is warning that it could get even worse next year.
– I’ve had to lay off half the staff, it’s terribly boring, says Ulf Hagner CEO of the carrier company Blåtand in Stöde.
When times are good for the berry company Blåtand, two shifts apply in the plant. Now the berry cleaning machines stand still one day a week.
– We have had to downsize and lay off nine people, it feels terrible to lay off someone who has worked here for 15 years, says CEO Ulf Hagner.
Fewer and fewer berry pickers are getting work permits
At the plant, the pickers’ cars are unused and there are many berries left in the forest. This year only around 1,200 Thai berry pickers received a work permit – last year there were significantly more, just under 5,400. The company Blåtand was one of many companies that did not receive a permit this year to hire berry pickers from Thailand. Only one company, Ransäter, has received permission from the Swedish Migration Agency.
– They have gained a monopoly on berry picking, says Ulf Hagner and continues:
– Mainly it is about the working hours, we have stated to the Swedish Migration Agency that the berry pickers would be paid for a 40-hour work week, but that they might also pick in their spare time. Those who come here want to pick as much as possible, and they have the right to do so according to the public right, but the Swedish Migration Agency then said no.
Wants to prevent cheating and abuse
An investigation from February this year suggests that no Thai berry pickers should be allowed to come here next year. The government does not want to say how it views this proposal, but the migration minister’s press secretary writes in an email that “the urgent need to counter cheating and abuse of the regulatory system, including in the carrier industry”.
– It is clear that these companies feel vulnerable, what they are doing is criminalizing an entire industry, which we think is extremely strange. The companies are portrayed as villains in this situation, says Jimmy Sandell, head of economic policy at Livsmedelsföretagen.
– It is clear that you have to curb cheating and misconduct, but there are many companies that want to do the right thing. But the constructive dialogue with the government and the authorities does not exist. And it is better to develop than to dismantle, says Ulf Hagner, CEO of the wear company Blåtand.