The Department of Employment is urging the provincial employment office to expand the investigation into the illegal process of bringing people to work as fruit pickers in Finland. It emphasized that it is still delaying sending Thai workers to work as fruit pickers because negotiations are underway to protect and maintain the rights of Thai workers.
Mr. Somchai Morakotsriwan, Director-General of the Department of Employment, revealed that on July 20, 2024, the Department of Employment received a tip-off from an anonymous person that there was an illegal travel to work as a wild fruit picker in the Republic of Finland. The travel was on Qatar Airlines flight number QR837 from Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand, to Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. Therefore, the Department of Employment and Jobseeker Protection Division and Suvarnabhumi Checkpoint were assigned to conduct an investigation. It was found that 43 people were found to have illegally worked in the Republic of Finland, 37 men and 7 women. A
ll of them admitted that they would travel to work as wild fruit pickers in the Republic of Finland without requesting permission from the Department of Employment in accordance with the law. Therefore, the travel was suspended and the Department explained that they must strictly comply with the Employment and Jobseeker Protection Act B.E. 2528 and its amendments. The Department also ordered the provincial employment office where the job seekers whose travel was suspended resided to investigate the facts and expand the investigation into the process of inviting or taking job seekers to work as wild fruit pickers in the Republic of Finland illegally, and to prosecute the relevant parties. We would like to remind Thais who are going to work as fruit pickers in the Republic of Finland that Thailand is still delaying sending workers to pick fruits for the benefit of the workers. In the meantime, we ask for cooperation from Thai workers not to go to work illegally.
‘For the journey to pick wild fruits in the Repu
blic of Finland, the delivery is currently delayed. We are in the process of discussing with the Republic of Finland to adjust the regulations, laws, and various rules that are beneficial for Thai workers who will travel to pick wild fruits, including employers who must accept the specified conditions in order to confirm the determination to solve the problem of human trafficking, protect and maintain the rights of Thai workers, as well as transparency and fairness for Thai workers,’ said the Director-General of the Department of Employment.
Those interested in working abroad can study information about the country they will be traveling to to prevent fraud via the Department of Employment’s e-Service system at the website doe.go.th or the website of the Department of Labor Administration Going Abroad doe.go.th/overseas or at the Provincial Employment Offices in every province, the Bangkok Employment Offices Area 1-10 or inquire for more information at the Ministry of Labor Hotline, Tel. 1506 press 2 Departm
ent of Employment and the Department of Employment Hotline, Tel. 1694 .
Source: Thai News Agency