A friend from South America called me and said how a construction company he worked for exploited its workers. Migrant Tales hopes to denounce the company located in the Turku area.
“I know of a South American couple who the the owner [of the company] brought to Finland,” he said. “They worked long hours with no days off and wanted to go back to their country after working for a month and a half even if they planned to stay till November.”
The owner paid he woman 16 euros and the man 101 euros for a month and a half of work after discounting their plane ticket and insurance.
Finding a job as a migrant in Finland can lead to exploitation and abuse. The source of the article is not in the picture.
According to my friend, he worked for the same construction company 15 hours a day seven days a week, sometimes until five in the morning.
“The owner only offered us soup to eat and we slept at his home,” he continued. “For three weeks of work, he wanted to pay me 800 euros but I got firm and got 2,800 euros as we had originally agreed.”
There was no work contract signed with the company because the wages they paid were under the table.
“One of my fellow workers lost 10 kilos in a short time while working for that company,” he concluded. “There are a lot of people, especially foreigners, that take advantage of their countrymen.”