Following inspections of farms and other agricultural businesses in August, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found the situation concerning human trafficking related matters to be generally good in Finland.
However, the agency noted that many foreign seasonal workers in the sector may not be aware of their rights in Finland, "and who may be in a vulnerable position in terms of workers' rights."
The so-called "action days" against human trafficking for labour exploitation were carried out in Finland from 8-19 August, as part of a broader effort by Europol.
During the inspections, police, the Regional State Agency and the Border Guard examined farms, greenhouse operations and residencies across Finland.
During the operation, authorities inspected 117 locations, more than 750 individuals and nearly 800 documents.
According to the NBI, a large proportion of the people interviewed had fled the war in Ukraine and were chiefly employed as seasonal workers.
The data collected in the inspections will continue to be examined, according to the NBI's Detective Chief Inspector Johannes Siirilä.
No major cases detected
"The main objective of the action days was to detect and prevent criminal activities. The results in Finland were generally good, and no major cases of exploitation were detected. However, the information is still being analysed, and it is possible that new cases will emerge. It is also good to keep in mind that the dark figure in human trafficking for labour exploitation is quite high," he said in a statement.
The agency noted that many migrant seasonal workers are unaware about their rights in Finland. That puts them at risk for exploitation, including inconsistent wage payments, working time discrepancies and "breaches of minimum wages."
"Authorities detected four cases where workers had had to pay a 'mediation fee' to a recruitment agency to get a job. It is suspected that an employment agency offence was committed in these cases. The authorities also detected 20 cases where a person was working without a work permit and three cases of suspected unauthorised use of foreign labour. It is good to note that employers must be aware of their foreign employees' right to work both at the beginning and during the employment relationship," Siirilä explained in the statement.
The broader Europol-coordinated effort, European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), was led by France, with authorities from 16 countries taking part.