Sweden’s berry-picking season faces a new normal after years of concern
Across Sweden, thousands of Thai migrant workers have traveled each summer for decades to harvest forest berries. While the season has long brought economic opportunity, it has also exposed serious labor abuses, including passport confiscation, grueling hours, and unpaid or underpaid wages. Investigations by national media have documented cases of workers forced to work while ill, and some companies failing to honor guaranteed wages spelled out in contracts. In a broader pattern, many workers left with debts that dwarfed the money they earned in Sweden. This year, a hard shift in oversight aims to change that trajectory.
A single company approved this year as scrutiny tightens
In a decisive turn, Sweden’s Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) rejected work permit applications from all but one berry company. The refusals, obtained by DN, are rooted in prior misconduct—ranging from mismanaged timekeeping to other contract breaches. The result is a pared-down landscape where a sole company, Ferus Berry, has been allowed to continue employing Thai berry pickers for the season, and where Thai workers are directly employed by the Swedish firm rather than through intermediary staffing agencies. This direct-employer model is intended to make it easier for authorities to ensure compliance with Swedish labor rules.
Inside the camp: a rare calm in Munkfors
In Munkfors, a small town in Värmland, 89 Thai berry pickers — the only group granted work permits — occupy a former hostel. The atmosphere is quiet: residents rest in dorm rooms, lounge outside, or watch Thai-language programming on a shared TV while Thai pop music plays softly in the background. Erik Kugrinas, the Ferus Berry manager, notes that weekends are now reserved and that “we do not work Saturdays and Sundays.” The shift is welcomed by some workers who say the break allows time to recover, yet it also raises questions about the previous 6-day work week and the fairness of compensation on nonworking days.
What the workers say and what the company allows
Noo-am Saisuk, a veteran picker, describes a sense of relief but also a lingering desire to work more. “On a good day I can pick 200 kilos,” she says, but she emphasizes the importance of following the new rules. The company’s stance on overtime is clear: Ferus Berry does not authorize overtime, explaining that lack of clear consent from the workers’ union prevented them from adopting a more flexible schedule. Kugrinas says the company would be open to 50 extra hours per month—if the union and regulations permitted it. Some workers, however, have posted on social media that they worked Saturdays during the first weeks of August, a contradiction Kugrinas says may reflect isolated instances rather than a company-wide policy.
Where the money goes: costs, debt, and transparency
Past reporting has highlighted how travel and living costs can erase earnings, leaving workers in debt upon return home. Ferus Berry contends that workers are responsible for their own travel costs up front and that deductions are limited to 280 kronor per day for meals and lodging. But workers recount a different experience. They describe guidance to allocate a large portion of their first paycheck — as much as 30,000 of 45,000 baht (roughly 13,100 kronor) — toward flight payments, with bank accounts used to make these transfers. DN has seen a bank account lent for such arrangements, casting doubt on how transparent the system really is. A police visit to Ferus Berry shortly after DN’s reporting is aimed at inspecting working conditions and wage payments, though authorities have not publicly disclosed findings.
Market dynamics and broader concerns
The year’s order of approvals and the absence of many Thai staffing agencies have reshaped the labor market for berry picking. Kugrinas notes that competition among berry providers has become “not normal,” with some companies relying on freelance pickers who operate with minimal oversight. He notes that some berries are sold to Lithuania-based buyers, a market dynamic influenced by long-standing ties to regional traders. In years past, two Åsele-based traders were convicted of serious exploitation, underscoring why tighter checks are seen as essential by advocates and authorities alike.
What this means for the future of berry picking in Sweden
For now, 89 workers in Munkfors represent the new, more scrutinized face of Sweden’s berry season. While some express relief at a slower pace and the promise of a guaranteed wage, others worry that the tighter controls may squeeze out legitimate, well-run operations and push some workers toward less-regulated arrangements. The central question going forward is whether the tighter controls can sustain safe working conditions, fair pay, and transparent costs while preserving seasonal work that many migrants rely on for income each year.
