Bärplockare (Berry Pickers)

Because of our generous laws concerning private land (see “Allemansrätten”), in recent years there has been an influx of foreign nationals that come to Sweden to make some money.  Most of them arrive in the late summer to pick berries in the forests of the north, but many soon realize that what they were told in their home countries (“You can make thousands of dollars by picking berries and selling them to suppliers! It is all there, right at your fingertips, because the Swedes are too lazy to do it themselves!”) was not strictly true.

In fact, scrupulous companies are lined up to take advantage of them and many leave the country with less money than they had when they came. Not only is this a huge tragedy because of the exploitation of  (often third-world) foreigners, it has also lead to some conflicts in the small towns that find themselves overrun with poor berry pickers in need of food and lodging. A lot of natives claim to see a rise in the number of thefts and burglaries during the berry season and thus this has lead to animosity towards them. Many local (and national) governments are trying to deal with this new phenomenon by imposing laws governing the Swedish companies that hire these workers, but still there seems to be a new scandal every year.