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01.09.2025 09:28

PAM: Wage theft should be criminalised in order to combat labour exploitation

The Ministry of Justice’s working group has submitted a proposal for two different categories of labour exploitation. PAM believes that this is a good idea. However, the proposal does not provide sufficient protection against the most common form of labour discrimination – underpayment – the Service Union PAM says in its statement.

In Finland, work-related exploitation can be found particularly in the cleaning, construction, gardening, healthcare and restaurant sectors, and underpayment is the most common form of it. When the authorities have carried out inspections, in about half of the inspections concerning foreign labour there have been shortcomings in the workers’ wages. Exploitation is an everyday phenomenon in high-risk sectors in Finland, and underpayment is one of the most typical forms of exploitation. The Ministry’s working group also came to the same conclusion in its statement, but the conclusions are incomplete.

Underpayment equals theft

PAM believes that if underpayment was classified as theft, it would lead to a better balance between the employee and the employer. Currently, if the employee is guilty of even a small theft, it is classified as petty theft, but when the employer steals the salary to which an employee is entitled, it is often treated as a civil dispute. Underpayment, however, is a form of work-related exploitation that often is targeted at people who are in a particularly vulnerable position and who really feel the harm that the act entails.

PAM believes that criminalising underpayment is one of the most important ways to combat work-related exploitation. Criminalisation would put a stop to companies paying too little and abusing workers’ rights for their own financial gain. Instead, it would contribute to fairer competition conditions.

Language training to prevent exploitation

In accordance with the working group’s proposal, PAM believes that the different degrees of severity and forms of work-related exploitation would be considered more effectively if usury-like discrimination in working life were replaced by paragraphs on usury in working life and gross usury in working life.

In order to achieve the objectives set out in the proposal, PAM believes that it is extremely important that authorities’ inspections are intensified and that the protection of workers in situations of exploitation is strengthened. An important part of preventing work-related exploitation is to offer immigrants integration services – particularly language training.

PAM also supports the proposal that usury in working life or gross usury in working life should be punishable by a business ban or fine imposed on a corporation.

Keywords:

legislation

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