Gałczyńska was one of 42 workers hired by the man to pick strawberries and raspberries in Vik i Sogn. – We worked seven days a week for up to 13-14 hours a day, says the 22-year-old. She also says that the situation was different for the workers. The family and friends of the employer must have been treated better. – They had better living conditions on the second floor of the barracks. In addition, they were paid better. Bad living conditions and long working days It was in 2019 that the man from Poland was arrested by the police in Vik. In the summer of 2019, the Polish man was arrested in Vik. He was initially charged with human trafficking, but this is not included in the final indictment. Photo: news-tipsar / news The man in his 50s is said to have passed on 42 Polish seasonal workers to farmers in Sogn. According to the indictment ordered by the Attorney General, they worked under particularly bad conditions. The salary must have been “significantly lower” than the collective wage. They must also have worked more than 40 hours per week and without time off at weekends. According to the indictment, the living conditions were poor, and the wardrobe conditions were inadequate. The workers also shared a room and a bed. – Based on my experiences, the prosecution is right, says Gałczyńska. She said that the workers had a break of around an hour to eat during the working day. – After work we rushed back to the barracks, because there was only one bathroom for the ladies and one for the men. And there were many of us. Risking prison and paying NOK 850,000 Anette Vangsnes Askevold is defending the man. She has not been allowed to talk to him about the indictment. That’s why she doesn’t know how he reacts to it. The man risks prison, fines and compensation claims from the workers. The prosecution will also confiscate NOK 851,154, which they believe is the man’s profit. Anette Vangsnes Askevold is defending the man. She is critical of the use of time in the case. Photo: news Gałczyńska is happy that the man must appear in court. She wants justice for the way she and the 41 other workers were treated. – It has been tough to wait for a decision. The case has been on our minds since it was made public. Almost four years after the man was arrested, the case comes up over two days in Sogn og Fjordane district court in March. – It has been a strain for my client to wait so long, says Vangsnes Askevold. She wonders about the time spent on the case. – An important matter – We must ensure that it is not possible to exploit people in this way. That’s according to deputy leader of the Federation, Kine Asper Vistnes. The case is important for the Federation. – It shows how important it is to have universal wages in this and other industries where people are exploited, says Vistnes. Kine Asper Vistnes in Fellesforbundet says it is an important case that will come before the court in March next year. – It is not intended that people should be exploited in this way in Norwegian working life today, she says. Photo: Morten M. Loberg She thinks it is unfortunate that a long time has passed since the relationship was discovered until the Polish man was prosecuted. – I think primarily of those who have been exploited and that they have had to wait a long time for it. But the most important thing is that the case is dealt with and that the person behind this is convicted. Both the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and the Norwegian Farmers’ Union are concerned with preventing such incidents in agriculture and are constantly working on the terms and conditions of the workers. – Our advice to those who have foreign employees is that they are employees of the farmer himself, or that you use a company called Norske landbrukstenester, says Anders Felde, leader of Vestland farmers’ association. He points out that Norwegian Agricultural Services is cooperatively owned by Norwegian farmers and says farmers should use staffing agencies they know from before. Was accused of human trafficking Prosecutor Sigurd Åsnes Granli regrets that the case has taken over three years to investigate, but says there are several reasons for that. Sigurd Åsnes Granli is the prosecutor in the case. Photo: Leif Rune Løland He refers to the complaint handling of the case, that the attorney general has been in, and a change of the person in charge of prosecution. – The use of time can also lead to the man receiving a lighter sentence – if he is convicted, says Åsnes Granli. The defendant was previously charged with human trafficking. This is not included in the final indictment. – We found no evidence of that during the investigation, says Granli. The man’s defense attorney saw early on that the original charge would not stand. – The conditions in the legal decision were not met and would not be, says Vangsnes Askevold.
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42 Polish workers are said to have been exploited. Fellesforbundet: – An important matter in principle – news Vestland
