The Orange Camp joined forces with the Progressive Movement to meet the Minister of Labor to resolve the crisis of Thai berry-picking workers being rejected for visas. Julapan is preparing to travel to Finland and Sweden early next month for negotiations.
On 5 August 2026, Sahawat Khumkong, MP of the People's Party, together with Kulthida Rungruengkiat, Director of the Progressive Movement Foundation, met with Julapan Amornwiwat, Minister of Labor, to discuss solutions for the problems faced by Thai seasonal berry-picking workers in Scandinavian countries, especially Finland and Sweden. Julapan stated that Thailand sends several thousand to tens of thousands of workers annually to pick berries, but recently the process has stalled due to very high visa rejection rates by the destination countries.
Julapan added that only about 200 workers have been approved this year, causing Thai workers to lose significant income opportunities. The main reasons are concerns over human trafficking, past cases of incomplete wage payments, and discrepancies between Thai-language and local-language employment contracts. He plans to visit Finnish and Swedish authorities early next month to expedite solutions and restore trust.
"The Ministry of Labor is open to proposals from the People's Party and the Progressive Movement, including creating a 'worker’s record book' to prepare and document work evidence; issuing a standardized contract through the Ministry to ensure fairness for all parties; and promoting a government-to-government (G2G) system to reform long-term labor deployment," said Julapan.
Sahawat Khumkong, MP of the People's Party, said the berry-picking labor issue has accumulated over several administrations, leading to current visa rejections. He hopes the Minister of Labor will promptly address systemic problems, restructure recruitment companies, and seriously enhance the protection of Thai workers’ human rights.
Julapan also outlined the overall situation, saying the ministry is actively seeking new overseas labor markets and establishing a system to accumulate agricultural technology knowledge and skills through a Credit Bank, aiming to develop Thai workers for more suitable, higher-paying jobs. Historical statistics of Thai berry-picking workers in Scandinavia: Fiscal Year 2024: Finland 671 | Sweden 1,366 Fiscal Year 2025: Finland 3,112 | Sweden 1,036 Fiscal Year 2026: Finland 356 | Sweden 2,637 (Total cumulative up to 2026: Finland 7,010 and Sweden 11,033)