Helsinki (04.06.13 - Heikki Jokinen)

Owners of a Finnish plastics company were handed down prison sentences for work-related human trafficking and aggravated embezzlement. The Ostrobothnia District Court sentenced the two owners to 2 years and 6 months in prison. They also have to pay more than 200,000 euros in compensation for embezzlement.

This all began in 2004 when the Vietnamese born couple established their own subcontracting company in the small town of Nykarleby and agreed with their employer to take responsibility for some of the factory work. The workers arrived from Vietnam and were related to the owner couple. Many of them were farm workers and illiterate.

The weekly working hours ranged from 70–84 hours, but workers received no payment for overtime. No holidays were allowed and workers who took ill were transported from home to the factory.

Two bank accounts

The owners took the workers to the bank where two bank accounts were opened in their name. Employer paid the minimum salary according to the collective agreement into account A. Then they transferred part of the money to account B, which the worker could use. Workers had no right to use account A. In fact they didn’t even know of its existence.

At the contracting factory the shop steward of the Industrial Union TEAM noticed that things were not quite right in the subcontracting company. As the employees were forbidden to talk to anyone, the case proceeded slowly.

In autumn 2009 one of the workers arrived late for work and the owners' son beat him badly. Police arrived and during investigations into the assault all the crimes committed by the company came to light.

The court verdict also awarded indemnities of between 5,000 and 30,000 euro to each of the workers for suffering endured during their time of employment. The court case in respect of unpaid salaries is still pending. The number of workers affected was 25 and some 20 are members of TEAM. The minimum penalty for human trafficking in Finland is 4 months and maximum penalty 6 years.

Read also:

Finnish authorities getting to grips with work-related human trafficking (01.02.2013)