Labour Exploitation

What is labour exploitation?

Victims of labour exploitation are often workers with a foreign background. In practice, exploitation can occur, for example, when a worker does not know Finnish labour laws and practices or fears losing their residence permit. Labour exploitation may involve situations where:

the worker is paid less than required by the collective agreement or does not receive lawful supplements or holiday compensation
the worker is not allowed to take days off or holidays required by law or the collective agreement
the worker must work long hours without lawful compensation for additional or overtime work
the worker must pay for getting the job or for related arrangements either in their home country or in Finland
the worker is forced to return all or part of their salary

Exploitation may also include:

misleading the worker into becoming a so-called “light entrepreneur” even though they believed they were signing an employment contract
denying the right to sick leave or failing to provide statutory occupational health care
taking loans in the worker’s name or deceiving them into signing documents such as sales agreements
inhumane living conditions or charging excessive fees for accommodation or work equipment
neglecting occupational safety obligations
giving false information about workers’ rights in Finland
threatening or intimidating the worker in various ways

In the most serious cases, labour exploitation can constitute human trafficking.
However, even less severe exploitation often fulfils the elements of a criminal offence.

When does poor treatment at work become a crime?

In Finnish criminal law, labour exploitation is criminalised not only as human trafficking but also as work discrimination, extortionate work discrimination, usury or aggravated usury.
In some cases, it can also constitute fraud.

At its mildest, the offence may involve not paying lawful supplements (for example, evening work bonuses) to foreign employees.
If the employer also fails to pay the basic salary or overtime compensation—such as in cases of systematically excessive working hours—the offence is more serious.
An employer may commit work discrimination on the basis of national or ethnic origin even if they share the same background as the employee, and even if all employees have similar contracts.

In cases of usury, it is assessed whether the employer has gained disproportionate financial benefit by exploiting the worker’s financial or other distress, lack of understanding, or inexperience.

Who can you contact?

In addition to the police, cases of labour exploitation are investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

However, victims of labour exploitation may be afraid to contact the authorities immediately. They may want to discuss their situation or the possible consequences of reporting it with an expert before making a decision.
In such cases, it is possible to contact the Special Support Service for Victims of Human Trafficking and Related Crimes at Victim Support Finland (RIKU) confidentially.

A person suspected of being a victim of labour exploitation can receive advice in their own language on how to proceed, support in taking the next steps if they wish, and help during the process.
RIKU does not disclose any information about your contact to other parties without the consent of an adult client.

Contact us in your own language:

Email: help@riku.fi
Phone (Mon–Fri, 1–4 p.m.): +358 40 632 9293 (calls, SMS, WhatsApp)

Victim Support Finland’s service brochures in different languages
More information about human trafficking and related crimes

Animated videos about workers’ rights in 16 languages

Special Support Service for Victims of Human Trafficking and Related Crimes

Labour Exploitation

What is labour exploitation?

When does poor treatment at work become a crime?

Who can you contact?

Animated videos about workers’ rights in 16 languages

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