Response to interpellation 2023/24:2 on measures against crime in the workplace

Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! Jim Svensk Larm has asked me how I view the problems that crime in the workplace brings and what measures I and the government are taking to tackle crime in the workplace.

I would like to start by thanking Jim Svensk Larm for his commitment to the issue. I can simultaneously state that work-life crime has been the subject of several interpellation debates since I took office as minister. That being said, I welcome that we are also debating work-life crime here in the chamber today.

The Government has presented its budget proposal for 2024, and it includes, among other things, an emphasis on continued agency cooperation but also on cooperation with labor market partners in the work against crime in the labor market.

Jim Svensk Larm missed the question of crime in the working life in the Prime Minister's government statement. For a government with high ambitions in many policy areas, there is a lot that must be accommodated in the government statement. Therefore, everything that is important for the government cannot be accommodated in such a document. But I do not believe that anyone has missed that one of the most prioritized issues for the government is to combat crime in society, which is also clearly evident from the government statement. This fight against crime naturally also includes crime in the working life.

We know that crime in the working life is extensive and leads to many negative consequences. Not only is competition distorted so that serious entrepreneurs are competed out by unscrupulous companies; crime in the working life is also a source of income for serious organized crime. Furthermore, labor is exploited in various unscrupulous ways so that insecurity in the working life increases. It is therefore important to combat crime, cheating, and abuse linked to the labor market.

We will continue to develop the work with, among other things, the joint agency controls. But even now it is clear that the joint inspections provide added value compared to if the agencies were to only conduct the work against crime in the labor market within their own line organizations.

I can therefore assure Jim Svensk Larm that crime in the working life is an issue that is taken very seriously by the government. The government is working jointly and on a broad front to achieve the shift that is truly needed so that we can reverse the development regarding the crime that we see in far too many areas, not least on the labor market.

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Jim Svensk Larm (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer to the interpellation!

The Swedish labor market has become a place where organized crime earns large sums of money by systematically exploiting workers. People are exploited in many different ways and have no opportunity to speak out.

Their stories touch us all. Employees are locked in the basement in the evening so that they do not succeed in fleeing before the next working day. People are deceived into coming to Sweden to receive a certain salary but are forced to withdraw half of the salary in cash to pay back to the employer. These are only two examples; it is possible to continue listing an enormous number of examples of ruthless treatment of people who come here and work. These stories are important, because they make visible the people behind the figures and show exactly why we need to prioritize this work.

The Social Democratic government began a large and important work during its time. At that time, the national strategy against crime in the working life was adopted, 45 measures each of which is an important part of the work to tackle the fraud.

It is, for example, about reducing the space for criminal actors, about more effective supervision, tangible sanctions and cooperation, as well as about spreading knowledge about crime in the working life and its consequences. It is simply a strategy that takes as a starting point that it should be difficult to cheat, easy to get caught, and tangible to be punished.

Today we will debate some of this. How does the government actually view crime in the working life, and what does it intend to do to tackle it? These are the questions I asked the Minister, and they are justified. Even though the Minister says there have been several interpellations, it is the fact that not that much has actually happened.

In the Prime Minister's government statement, the issue is practically absent. Perhaps the Prime Minister does not see the whole picture and how important this issue is. Minister Brandberg says that the government has high ambitions in many areas and that not everything fits into the government statement. This may be true to some extent. But how high are these ambitions, and what do they look like? Well, as a blank sheet at the Ministry of Employment - not a single bill.

Regarding the subject we are debating today, the confidentiality barriers have been lifted time and again in dialogues I have had. Nor is this included as a government bill, even though that investigation has been lying ready on the government's desk since they took office. It even managed to be sent out for consultation so that the consultation responses arrived. It has been lying there and waiting, but not even that is included on the list of government bills.

At the same time as the government stands still, organized crime is moving. Trade union elected representatives are being threatened when they scrutinize companies. The number of workplace accidents with fatal outcomes is increasing. It is simply the case, Mr. Speaker, that the government's lack of action risks giving the criminals even greater room. It is beginning to be time for the government to realize the extent of crime in the working life and that it feeds organized crime, which is a direct threat to the safety of society.

When will the government begin to present proposals to address this problem, so that it becomes difficult to cheat, easy to get caught, and tangible to be punished?

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Serkan Köse (S)

Mr. Speaker! Today we are debating an important societal challenge: crime in the labor market. It is one of the most acute and complex issues that our society faces. It is far more than a simple deviation - it is a poison that slowly but surely erodes the foundations of society. Every organ in our social body is affected. It creates an unhealthy competition and causes tax money that could finance our schools and hospitals to be lost in a black economy. I thank Member Jim Svensk Larm for initiating this important discussion.

Workplace crime, Mr. Speaker, spans across different sectors, from the construction industry to the beauty and care industry. A survey conducted by Novus on behalf of LO Byggnads shows that one in five construction workers has met colleagues who are exploited or forced to work under unsafe conditions, often without adequate training or protective equipment. These alarming facts require more measures, Mr. Speaker.

The housing situation for these workers complicates the problem even further. According to the newspaper Byggnadsarbetaren, thousands of foreign construction workers live in Stockholm under unsuitable and illegal conditions. And it is not just this. This exploitation is particularly widespread in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, where one can get a bed for 3,000 kronor.

In this context, I would like to ask the Minister: What is the SD government doing to combat this form of exploitation, especially considering the investigation on safer residential areas that was commissioned last year by the Social Democratic government? I would very much like to hear the Minister say something about that work.

Mr. Speaker! We must also ask ourselves why we have this problem. The then Alliance government - which the Liberals, the then Folkpartiet, were part of - abolished the labor market test in 2008. This has led to the fact that Sweden now has one of the most liberal labor migration laws in the OECD, which in turn has led to an increase in crime in the labor market.

Paradoxically, the Sweden Democrats, who previously demanded a means test for labor migration, have now chosen to support the Liberals' most liberal labor migration policy. This reversal is a betrayal of Swedish wage earners, Mr. Speaker. We need a labor migration policy that protects all wage earners, both Swedish and foreign.

Sweden needs, Mr. Speaker, of course international competence. But the current system, which the Liberals and the Sweden Democrats defend, exposes many foreign workers to crimes in the workplace.

To solve this, we Social Democrats propose that the labor market assessment be reintroduced. We believe that it is time to rectify the system and stop the exploitation of foreign labor. Labor immigration should only be permitted when there is a shortage of labor in Sweden. That is how, Mr. Speaker, we ensure a healthy labor market and maintain order and discipline in the Swedish labor market.

In view of this, I would like to ask the Minister: How does the Minister specifically intend to combat the growing shadow society, which encompasses illegal working conditions and crime in the labor market? Are there any specific reforms or measures on the agenda to address this burning issue? Right now, Mr. Speaker, the list of reforms echoes with emptiness.

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Thomas Morell (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I entered this debate for the simple reason that one is somewhat astonished by the question from the member. I also want to take the opportunity to thank the Minister for a good answer. The core of the answer is that one must tackle the crime in society.

During the previous parliamentary term, I had over a hundred debates with the Social Democratic government regarding precisely crime, which is a poison in our society. There was a lot of talk but little workshop - not much happened. It therefore becomes a bit strange to now hear the Social Democrats direct criticism at the sitting government on the same issue, when for eight years there was an opportunity to do something without anything happening.

We must be clear that all crime is road-based. What I fought for during the last parliamentary term and fight for even now is that we must get police on the roads - police who can reach those who exploit people.

We are talking about drivers, a large group of people who are heavily exploited in our society. They are paid per mile, which violates the legislation. They are not allowed to have the heat on in the cabin when they are stationary and taking their rest. If they are to have the heat on, they must pay for the fuel themselves. If they break something, they have to pay. They are stopped on the road and ordered to pull over for 20 minutes to return to an empty truck; then they have been there and emptied it.

It is this reality that many people live in. I described this several times during the last parliamentary term, but nothing happened. Now, all of a sudden, the Social Democrats are waking up. It is astonishing.

We have a gigantic problem with crime in society, and it must be tackled. But you Social Democrats do not step up when proposals are put on the table to make a change and reach these actors, who turn over billions. They smuggle people in crates to then use them on the black construction market, or young girls to use them in prostitution. This is the reality. I have stood out there. I have worked in the traffic police for twelve years; I have seen what happens and how people are handled.

It is time for some workshop even among you and that you support the work to gain access to this. I also welcome the new government, which has been responsive in this matter.

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Sofia Amloh (S)

Mr. Speaker! I intend to begin by stating that when we Social Democrats talk about crime, we also talk about crime in the workplace. When the government talks about crime, it is only gang crime that is addressed. It would be nice to hear this government also speak about crime in the workplace as a societal problem.

This is a serious societal problem; it is incredibly widespread. It concerns crime and regulatory violations that lead to workers being exploited or risking injury at work, every day. It also concerns unfair competition in the labor market. Labor crime means that serious actors are competed out by actors who exploit workers with completely unreasonable working conditions, cheat with taxes and fees, or in other ways circumvent laws, regulations, and agreements for work and the work environment. Labor crime can also manifest in companies being used to create incorrect documentation which in turn is used as a door opener to the welfare system. In this way, welfare and our safety systems are drained of resources.

Workplace crime generates large sums and is a source of income for organized crime, which is growing and spreading in society. Something that is commonly occurring is human exploitation and human trafficking. There are countless stories of horrific human fates. It is completely unacceptable that we see this as Sweden is an arena for every day.

The S-led government established a national strategy against crime in the workplace and ensured that joint agency centers were established across the country. This is a very important foundation that is needed so that supervision and controls can be carried out jointly. This is something that this government has maintained, and that is good. But why is the minister doing nothing to ensure that the controls increase or become more numerous, for which there is an incredibly great need?

The work clearly needs to be stepped up. We do not believe that the Minister is acting in accordance with what she says. That ambitions are important is not visible in action. No further or own initiatives are being taken. Furthermore, this government has scrapped the investigation into having a means-tested labor migration, which was an important step forward in the fight against labor-related crime. Why was that investigation scrapped? I thought that the Sweden Democrats had a very high level of commitment regarding that this was what they would implement if they were given power. But it actually took quite a short time before they scrapped that investigation. I therefore do not quite know what the member from the Sweden Democrats meant earlier by that something needs to be done and that this goes in that direction.

I do not think it is evident that this has high priority for this government. Given that one has stood here and insisted that nothing has happened during our years, it should be said that this strategy came along like an investigation on need-based labor immigration. But it is not in place now. What does the Minister intend to do instead to get this in order?

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Johanna Haraldsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! I would first like to thank Jim Svensk Larm for ensuring that we are able to have this debate.

Workplace crime distorts competition, risks the lives and health of the workforce and threatens our labor market model. According to Ola Pettersson, who leads the Delegation against workplace crime, workplace crime undermines trust in the social structure.

According to the national strategy against crime in the labor market, which was decided by the Social Democratic government, it should be difficult to cheat, easy to get caught and palpable to be punished. But in order to be able to hinder and detect the cheating and be able to punish those who do not behave, controls and follow-ups are required. It is crucial that both unions and authorities get out to the workplaces.

The construction industry has for a long time been particularly vulnerable to crime in the workplace. Both the unions' negotiators and safety representatives testify to an increasingly tough situation. Criminals use threats and violence at the workplaces to keep unions and authorities away. People who inspect the companies and who work so that people can have a bearable situation at their work are threatened, spat upon, and assaulted. Employees of the Work Environment Authority and other authorities are also subjected to threats, and the number of reported incidents is increasing. There is a risk that one chooses not to visit certain workplaces due to fear. The threats and violence are used so that they can continue to earn money undisturbed by cheating and exploiting employees who every day risk life and health at Swedish construction sites.

We cannot have it this way. What is the government doing to stop the threats and violence that union representatives and agency officials are subjected to at Swedish construction sites? This should be a very important measure to reach the goal that we shall abolish and stop work-life crime.

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Eva Lindh (S)

Mr. Speaker! We have heard many testimonies about how tough it is with crime in the labor market and how it threatens society. These are actually stories that do not exaggerate how crime in the labor market affects our society. It is difficult not to get stuck on the sight of the hideous faces that the consequences of this crime actually have - people who are exploited so that money can be laundered.

My colleagues have in a good way told and explained how this affects. I just want to dwell on a small part of it all but which perhaps is one of the supporting prerequisites for us to be able to work and get to the bottom of work-related crime, namely the issue of secrecy.

The S-led government appointed an inquiry that was completed a year ago on how we could develop and enable information exchange. The authorities working with labor market crime say that if they do not get these opportunities, they will not be able to handle it, and they will not be able to work together. Now this inquiry lies - I believe; we do not know - on someone's desk. Nothing has happened, and I am seriously concerned. This is important for this issue naturally, but also for so many other issues when it comes to tackling crime, criminality, and exploitation.

Criminals have no secrecy. They can talk to each other. But authorities are often hindered because they cannot cooperate to help and support but also to prevent crime. My simple question is: When will it become a reality that authorities can exchange information to stop the heinous work-life crime?

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! Until October 17, 2022, the day before I became minister, I worked as a prosecutor, as many of you in the room know. I worked at the national unit against international and organized crime and had human trafficking as a special area. In that role, I handled much of what we are talking about here today.

I saw people who came to Sweden to work in our berry forests but who ended up in a situation that cannot be described in any other way than as exploitation in slave trade. I saw several other industries: the beauty industry, the restaurant industry, the construction industry, and Thai massage parlors - there are many industries that are incredibly affected by labor-related crime. I took part in stories from people who were exploited and utilized in a horrific way. I saw how our welfare systems were milked. I saw how our welfare money, which was supposed to do incredibly great good for so many people who are truly vulnerable, went straight into the pockets of criminal actors. I saw how serious companies did not have the possibility to survive when they had to compete with the unscrupulous companies.

Mr. Speaker! I saw how crime was eating its way into the Swedish body of society in all areas, and crime in the working life was no exception. That was why I entered politics in the first place – because I saw that the previous government completely lacked the prerequisites to deal with the problems. I could not stand that, Mr. Speaker. I could not stand to see a shadow society spreading across Sweden and all its capillaries and feel that those who rule completely lack the ability to handle this and that the development was going in exactly the opposite direction.

Mr. Speaker! This government is changing course, and we have only just begun. Crime against the working life is a priority area in my portfolio, and we are taking many measures. We continue with some of the things that the previous government started but which were far from sufficient. We are expanding the so-called regional a-krim centers, where we invest in inter-agency cooperation to address the issues.

We are reviewing labor immigration, but not in the way the previous government intended, but we have a different variant that we believe is better, goes further and does greater good. The investigation is on my colleague Maria Malmer Stenergård's desk.

Mr. Speaker! The work will continue throughout the entire mandate period, and I just want to say that I see it as very positive that there is such a great commitment in the chamber. I only wish that this commitment had led to greater results during the eight years that the Social Democrats ruled the country, before this government came to power.

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Jim Svensk Larm (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! I am sure that the Minister's background is valuable in her work right now, and I am sure that this is something that is needed in the government's work.

It is probably something that is needed within the Liberals as well. When we dealt with reports here in the autumn, or if it was in the spring, I tried to check what the Liberals had said about work-life crime previously. I thought that the Riksdag has a good search service and that it was easy to find out, but I got no hits. It was only when the minister entered the government that I got a hit on a liberal representative who mentioned the word work-life crime. I think it is very nice that the issue is also discussed within the Liberals.

The authorities are not allowed to talk to each other that much. We heard about the secrecy, and it is a problem, which may certainly sound ridiculous to someone from the outside. I had the opportunity to go up to Umeå to their center against labor crime and sit down and talk with the authorities there. I heard one authority say that it sat on information that it could not share.

Secrecy makes it difficult. It is like putting together a puzzle where you sit with different pieces that you try to build together, but where you are not allowed to share the table. Then it becomes very difficult to get a complete picture and access the issues.

The co-location of authorities was also mentioned by the Minister. It is extremely important, but I wonder how important this is for the government. This summer, yet another center opened in Norrköping. The month before, I had posed a question to Minister Brandberg about what the plans looked like and when the next center would open. In the Minister's answer, there was nothing that hinted that another center was soon on the way, but rather it was the usual, that five more would be opened during the year.

When the center had finally opened, there were practically no comments from the minister or the government. One didn't say "Yippee, now we move forward" or "Now something more is happening," but we saw it via a few anonymous press releases. It felt like it was a matter that wasn't so very important for the minister. Now there are four centers left to open, and perhaps we can get some information now about when it will take place. I know it is on the way.

Then we have the entire national strategy that the previous, Social Democratic, government adopted. It needs to be evaluated. What is the status of that? As far as I heard, the Government Offices have still not started any investigation into this. It was supposed to have been started during the autumn. The strategy needs to be evaluated and updated.

If there is one thing we know, it is that the criminals are constantly finding new ways to bypass rules and cheat within this area. Therefore, it is important that the strategy is updated and followed up, but also that we carry out the things contained therein. It could be about the A1 certificates, the F-tax system, secrecy, or the labor immigration – there are many different things that have been halted or put in the government's filing cabinet. At the same time, crime is spreading, and serious companies are being outcompeted.

Within the construction industry, the parties have taken a great responsibility and are developing new tools and methods to tackle the fraud. Something that is described as a major problem within the construction industry is all the subcontracting levels. How does the government view this? Is this something that needs to be worked on to ensure that we reach it? How can one ensure that laws and agreements are followed in the final link when it is so difficult to audit?

The City Council mentioned that of course there are many other industries affected by crime in the workplace, such as cleaning, beauty, restaurant, personal assistance and so on. It is important to spread information about this, and there the Delegation against crime in the workplace has an extremely important mission.

There are also people who are being exploited. The Minister described it very well based on his previous experiences. How does the government view those people who are being exploited, and how can they get better help?

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Serkan Köse (S)

Mr. Speaker! After having listened carefully to the Minister's answer, I feel that it is still unclear whether there are any concrete plans or reforms in progress to combat crime in the working life in Sweden.

I asked a concrete question about whether there are any reforms in the works. Instead of describing this, the Minister spent a lot of time talking about why she became involved in politics and about blaming the previous S-government for not doing anything.

But the problem, Mr. Speaker, goes much further back than that. It did not appear during the previous Social Democratic government. One can state that during the eight years with the Alliance, the word occupational crime could hardly be mentioned.

The Social Democratic government took office in 2014, and one of the first issues it addressed was to develop a strategy to combat crime in the workplace through the 45 measures that Jim Svensk Larm mentioned.

Part of the strategy concerns stricter rules for labor immigration. It is somewhat interesting that the member from Sverigedemokraterna did not mention anything about this. My concrete question is: Why have Sverigedemokraterna turned in this issue, and are Sverigedemokraterna against a needs-based labor immigration? It is a simple question.

The member from Sverigedemokraterna also said that they are against work-life crime, crime and so on, but the member knows that precisely the problem with labor immigration leads to a lot of crime today on the Swedish labor market.

Then one can note that the Social Democratic government appointed a lot of inquiries, as Jim mentioned, regarding the review of public procurement, secrecy regulations, rules and requirements for companies in the RUT and ROT systems and so on. The list is long.

Återigen: Much of the government's policy today is about living off social democratic policy and on the social democratic reforms that the previous government implemented. My concrete question is: Which reforms does the government intend to present to us when it comes to the fight against crime in the workplace?

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Thomas Morell (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I would first like to extend a thank you to the Minister. It was very good to hear the description of the reality that she herself has seen out there and the problem that we are talking about. Crime is like a fine-meshed net that penetrates all parts of society. This has not been taken seriously for many years.

One can blame the previous government, and one can look further than that. But already in 2012, the regional crime bureau in Västra Götaland produced a report showing that the road-based crime had branches into the rest of the criminal network in the country.

The effects of the unbridled development that the criminals have been allowed to have, we see daily with shootings, explosions and other things that we suffer under.

When one is presented with a report, I cannot for my life understand that no measures are taken and that one does not see where this will actually occur in the future. We have the answer key today, but something could have been done about it much earlier.

The Leader of the Opposition previously stated in a post that it should be easy to get caught. Yes, but then there must be someone out there doing the job as well. I have also been calling for this for a long time, but nothing has happened.

Now I finally see an opportunity that we will achieve a solution so that we can tackle the crime that we have around us in society every day. These are not doves that we are dealing with. If something goes against one of the criminals, they remove the one who poses a threat. People are being executed today. It is a creepy development that it would have been possible to do something about a long time ago.

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Sofia Amloh (S)

Mr. Speaker! I asked some questions to the Minister in my previous contribution. I do not doubt anyone. I believe that most here in the chamber have examples and stories from how this grotesque reality looks. So does the Minister. I therefore do not believe that we need to bring up more, because I believe that we all have such stories. It is perhaps why we are here and are having this debate.

If it was the political commitment of the minister that made her take the step into politics, secured a place at the government's meeting table, and became a minister with responsibility for precisely these issues, I cannot help but wonder why the minister does not act more forcefully than she currently does. There are very few proposals and incredibly few initiatives in this area. It is quite incomprehensible to me.

Does the Minister want more controls? That was one of my questions.

The SD-government does not want the previously functioning needs-based labor immigration. What is it then that is supposed to be so much better? I would very much like to know that given the government's proposal. And what problems, and in what way, will it resolve that the needs-based labor immigration would not have?

I wish and hope that I can get answers to my questions.

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Johanna Haraldsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! We are discussing a very complex problem. It is not solved with a single reform. Therefore, the strategy that several of us are highlighting from the rostrum is very important. We will need interventions in very many areas. It cannot be that there is someone out there who alone does the job, as the member from Sverigedemokraterna said. We also need to overhaul a good deal of the regulatory framework.

To detect errors, deficiencies, fraud, and outright crime in the workplaces, it is precisely the control and follow-up on-site that is crucial.

The joint controls between authorities, which the Minister highlights, are extremely important. But even the Swedish Work Environment Authority's regular inspection efforts play a major role in detecting deficiencies and preventing fraud in the workplaces, even where it was not initially seen that there is a high risk of crime in the working life. A very large effort can be made with the regular inspection efforts.

In the government's budget bill, one can follow the development of the number of inspections carried out by the Swedish Work Environment Authority's inspectors, both the own inspections and the joint agency-wide targeted actions against crime in the workplace. One can also see how many fines, sanction fees, orders and prohibitions they have decided on.

Until 2019, both the number of inspections and decisions from the Swedish Work Environment Authority's inspectors increased. But compared to 2019, almost 4,500 fewer inspections were carried out during 2022, and 800 fewer decisions were made.

Does the Minister agree that the inspections are important to counter crime in the working life? And if so, what is she doing to make them increase again, so that one at least reaches the same level as before the pandemic?

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Eva Lindh (S)

Mr. Speaker! It is of course such that one is touched by the Minister's description. We all are. That is also why we are here. We have seen this, we have heard about this, and we are angry and sad about the situation that actually exists in society today. Then we need to act. We ask the questions again because we are truly interested in the answers. When will the necessary investments come? My specific question is: When will it be changed in the legislation regarding the secrecy issues? Secrecy is naturally, quite obviously important – those who should not have information should also not have information. But here it is about being able to cooperate between agencies. It is a prerequisite for us to be able to detect crime in the working life but also to act when we see it.

I must also highlight another issue. There are actually quite a few systems in Sweden that facilitate welfare crime and work-life crime. We have quite a few such systems. We know, for example, that there are many challenges within the home care sector. There are people who are exploited within this area as well. Much of this occurs in the public sector under the law on choice systems. This creates conditions for welfare crime and work-life crime.

Start by removing these systems! That is also another proposal. But I really want answers to the question about the secrecy.

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Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! Work-related crime in Sweden is extensive and requires a palette of measures. As has been pointed out here, it is not enough with one reform or one measure, but it requires a crackdown in many areas.

Based on my previous experience, I will dwell a bit more on the justice system and crime fighting. When listening to some of the members, it almost appears as if white-collar crime lives its own life alongside the rest of the crime. For example, member Amloh thought that one talks so much about gang crime but so little about this.

Mr. Speaker! This crime is linked to other crime. We see how money from crime in the working life feeds the organized crime that is spreading across our country. It is also so, Mr. Speaker, that despite that we have had an incredible crime development - a skyrocketing crime development - in Sweden, in 2022 we had the same number of police in relation to the population size as we had in 2012.

Mr. Speaker! When crime spreads, it affects all forms of crime-fighting activities. It affects women who are victims of crime and are subjected to violence in the home, and it also, of course, affects the work on labor market crime.

To then say that this government is not taking any measures when we are making enormous investments, not least in the budget, so that our law enforcement agencies can have a chance to handle this is not honest.

Mr. Speaker! As I said, measures are required on a broad front. As I also said, there is a reform aimed at precisely labor immigration, for it is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle. The Government does not copy Social Democratic policy when we believe we have better solutions, and the reform that is now on the Migration Minister's desk is one we see as a better solution to prevent people in many cases from being misled into coming to Sweden to work here under slave-like conditions and for slave wages. It is one of the pieces of the puzzle in the Government's work regarding this.

In addition, we are ramping up the inter-agency cooperation that is required. We are currently expanding the a-krim centers that are underway, and four of them remain to be opened. The plan is for them to open before the turn of the year, which is my message on that matter.

We have received a report on the joint agency mandate that exists, and in February 2024, the Swedish Work Environment Authority will report on a mandate they have received. The delegation against crime in the workplace will also submit a partial report regarding these specific issues. In addition, we are looking at the possibilities for a joint agency tip function, and this is also an ongoing work that I hope can be an important piece of the puzzle in the work.

I share the members' view that it is important to tear down the secrecy barriers that exist today so that the inter-agency work can function in an efficient way. There is an ongoing preparation at the Ministry of Finance, and I hope that we will soon be able to present a way forward regarding that issue. It is, in fact, a very important piece of the puzzle.

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Jim Svensk Larm (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answers.

When I was in Umeå, we talked a bit about the victim's perspective in this, that is, how one takes care of and looks after those people who are actually victims of crime but also a tool in criminality. How do we ensure that they receive the right help to be able to pursue their process and are seen as a crime victim, not just a criminal actor? I had some reflections regarding how we ensure this. Do we have a good process? Unfortunately, I experienced that it was a question that had not really been discussed in depth, that is, how one takes care of these crime victims.

I hope that this is something that is also discussed more from the government's side – how we are to ensure and increase the support for those people who are victims of crime within organized crime and not just see them as criminals. It is often those who are at the bottom of the chain who have to take the responsibility, while those at the top all too often get away with it. The strategy includes, as stated, that it should be difficult to cheat, easy to get caught and palpable to be punished. That is the direction the strategy has, and I think it is a good direction. But there is still a way to go to get there.

As has been mentioned here earlier, labor crime is a poison that is spreading. It feeds organized crime and creates an insecure labor market, as well as an insecure society in general. It creates a shadow society where people are systematically exploited, where there is a poor working environment and the employee risks dying at work, where taxes and money that would be needed for welfare are cheated, and where those who try to oppose the crime are threatened. This needs to be stopped.

I would like to conclude my contribution by thanking the Minister for the debate. This is a topic that engages, and I am sure that the Minister will have the opportunity to debate this again here in the chamber.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)

Mr. Speaker! In my concluding remarks, I actually want to start by thanking Jim Svensk Larm and also the other members who have participated in the debate, because I completely share the view that these are issues that must be high up on the agenda. I also think it is good and beneficial that we discuss them here in the chamber.

The government will act on a broad front against all forms of crime. We will also make a major shift in perspective regarding the view on crime victims - we need to shift the focus from perpetrators to crime victims in our entire policy. But most importantly, we will have fewer crime victims, and that is true even when it comes to our labor market and our working life.

Answers to interpellations

In Sweden, we shall have a healthy working life. We shall have a healthy labor market where people go to work, receive the right wages for their work and can feel secure at work - and where cheating and crime are countered and combated with full force. In my work, I will continue to pursue exactly that line, and I look forward to more debates on this theme where I get the opportunity to present the measures that the government is continuously taking regarding this work.

Thank you for a good debate!

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)