In a bid to combat the exploitation of foreign workers in Sweden, the Swedish government is working on a proposal to tighten the current labor migration regulations.
As stated in a Press Release by the Ministry for Integration and Migration, the proposal is set to be presented to the Council on Legislation.
“It is important to address the problem of foreign workers being exploited in the Swedish labor market. The legitimacy of labor migration can only be maintained if fraud and injustice are prevented. At the same time, labor migration to Sweden is important to growing and developing businesses,” explains the Ministry. This is the first proposal of amendments, with more to be proposed in the near future.
Among the amendments include:
- An employment contract should be required in order for a work permit to be issued
- The Swedish Migration Agency should be able to require an employer to provide information about the labor migrant’s employment conditions; those who refuse to provide this information should be fined
- The introduction of a maintenance requirement for family member immigration linked to foreign labor
- Permits issued on the basis of false information should be considered as an offense of ‘organizing of human smuggling’
Anders Ygeman, the country’s Minister for Integration and Migration, said that the problem of foreign workers being exploited in the country must be addressed, with employers pushing them to work for more hours, give lower wages, and provide poor working conditions.