Police investigate Finnish cleaning companies over job extortion of Filipinos

By admin On Apr 29, 2025

Cleaning equipment in a janitor’s closet at an office in Helsinki. Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva

Two cleaning companies operating in Finland’s capital region are under investigation for allegedly charging Filipino workers thousands of euros in exchange for jobs that were never provided.

Helsinki police revealed on Sunday that the first case involves a business owner who demanded between 4,000 and 5,000 euros from cleaners recruited from the Philippines between 2021 and 2024. The payments were described as “entrance fees” for employment contracts and assistance in obtaining residence permits.

Once in Finland, some of the workers were placed on zero-hour contracts, leaving them without the promised working hours or wages. Investigators found that in many cases, the company had no intention of offering actual work, despite facilitating the workers’ immigration.

Police suspect that the business transitioned from legal employment practices to organising illegal immigration. Around 30 individuals have been identified as paying entrance fees or other charges, with 20 of them reportedly never starting work with the company.

Lead investigator Sami Isoniemi stated in a press release that demanding advance payments from workers coming to Finland is “common practice” among some businesses.

The second case concerns another cleaning company that helped over 50 Filipino workers obtain residence permits. Nearly 40 of them, however, never began work, as the company had no jobs available for them.

The activities in the second investigation took place between 2021 and 2022.

Both cases have now been sent to prosecutors for consideration of charges, including aggravated extortion and facilitating illegal immigration.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi