An increasing number of cases are coming to light of the substandard and possibly illegal exploitation of seasonal workers in Lapland.

So far this winter, at least one case has been reported to the police which is being investigated as extortion.

According toHenna-Kaisa Turpeinen, regional manager of the service sector trade union PAM, the union has received hundreds of contacts from seasonal workers who arrived in Lapland this winter.

Some are being looked at in cooperation with the authorities.

"The sad thing is that in some cases the abuse is increasingly serious," says Turpeinen.

Extortion

The Lapland Police have received one formal compliant of a crime related to the abuse of seasonal workers this season. According to the police, the case is currently being investigated as a criminal offence of extortion, but the police say that this could change as the investigation progresses.

In the last five years, Lapland police have received two other reports of criminal offences related to the treatment of seasonal workers, one concerning an allegation of violations of labour protection law and the other concerning an allegation of labour contract offences. Neither case was prosecuted.

Under Finnish criminal law, extortion is defined as demanding disproportionate amounts of money from someone in connection with a contract, taking advantage of their financial or other hardship, or exploiting their lack of understanding or carelessness.

In principle, an employer charging employees excessive amounts for things such as accommodation or other work-related matters can be interpreted as a form of unfair labour practice.

This winter, the PAM trade union has become aware of cases in which, for example, employers have been tried to claim excessive compensation from seasonal workers for minor accidents involving their employer's car.

However, police are currently not giving details of the case under preliminary investigation.

25 residents, two toilets

Typical problems reported to PAM include issues related to rest periods, pay and the poor condition of vehicles made available to workers.

Accommodation is also a recurring theme in workers' contacts with the union. According to Henna-Kaisa Turpeinen, situations have arisen in which up to six people have been accommodated in a two-room flat and charged several hundred euros each in rent.

"And because other people were occupying the living room, they are not allowed to go in there. They were only allowed to use the toilet and kitchen. I do not think that respects anyone's dignity," she explains.

In the course of gathering information for its report, Yle became aware of several cases where numerous seasonal workers had been housed in the same flat. In one case, for example, up to 25 people were accommodated in a single apartment. The flat had nine bedrooms but only two toilets. There was no oven in the kitchen, only a hotplate.

This was a flat provided by a large, national business operator. The total monthly rent paid by tenants for one room was 450 euros.

Yle obtained photos of the flat, but scheduled interviews were cancelled because the workers feared they would not be able to find work in the future.

"Really awkward and uncomfortable"

ForFrancisco dos Reis Silva from Portugal, the experience of seasonal work in Rovaniemi was a disappointing one, especially in terms of the living conditions offered.

An employer offered him shared accommodations for eight people. The rent was 300 euros per month for a shared room or 500 euros per month for a room of his own.

In the end, only shared rooms were available, with two beds in a small space.

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"We certainly couldn't all fit in the kitchen at the same time," he says.

Reis Silva also says that it was difficult for people working different shifts to organise their living arrangements so that everyone got enough rest.

"It was really awkward and uncomfortable. Younger residents might not have realised that others wanted to sleep," he explains.

Reis Silva was also employed by a large, national operator.

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Turpeinen says there are companies that operate well, and then there are companies, often new ones, that don't work as well.

"For example, some companies with a foreign background have no idea what rules govern the labour market in Finland," she points out.

Rovaniemi not ready

For Reis Silva, one season of work in Lapland was enough.

After a month of shared accommodations, he found his own two-room flat on the open market for the winter season, where the rent was only slightly higher than it would have been in shared accommodations.

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"The only problem with that flat was that the one downstairs was on a short-term lease. Even there, they may not have known that in Finnish apartment blocks, it is supposed to get quiet after ten o'clock," he says.

Reis Silva's main takeaway from Rovaniemi was that too much tourism is not good for the city, for the tourists or those working in tourism.

"The work itself was nice, but I wouldn't come to Lapland again unless it was a last resort. I felt that things were not done carefully or correctly."

Reis Silva thinks that tourism in Rovaniemi is clearly overheated and at some point the city will suffer.