PAM imposes job search ban on Lapland safari company

Service Union United (Palvelualojen ammattiliitto-PAM) on Thursday imposed a job search blockade on a safari company in Lapland due to violations of the collective agreement and exploiting workers, said PAM in a press release.

PAM took the decision as the company named Nordic Unique Travels repeatedly and deliberately violated the collective agreement for the adventure services sector.

The job search blockade means that PAM members should not apply for jobs at the company. The decision also protects workers from mandatory waiting periods in unemployment security if they refuse a job offer from the company.

At the same time, the job search blockade is a recommendation to all other workers to avoid Nordic Unique Travels Oy for as long as the ban remains in force.

Problems with the company began immediately after it was established in 2018 and year after year, the company has neglected to comply with the collective agreement for the adventure services sector and has improperly pressured employees into remaining silent about the company’s violations, said PAM.

“Nordic Unique Travels’ operations demonstrate significant disregard for employees and expose them to workplace accidents and labour exploitation,” said PAM Organisational Director Risto Kalliorinne in the press release, explaining the exceptional decision to impose a job search blockade on the company.

The problems have been continuous and have not been corrected despite repeated contacts, paid wage claims, and a supervisory letter sent to the employers’ association.

“This is not a matter of ignorance, but a business model based on exploitation. Most of the company’s 60–100 employees are seasonal workers recruited from abroad,” said Kalliorinne.

PAM has handled 15 labour dispute cases involving the company in between 2019 and 2026.

The disputes have mostly concerned unpaid or incorrectly paid wages and unclear grounds for termination of employment.

In addition, PAM has received numerous reports every season regarding the company’s inappropriate practices.

In 2024, a safari guide died in a snowmobile accident.

According to the occupational safety and health authority, Nordic Unique Travels had neglected risk assessment related to the accident.

Recruitment for the next season in Lapland is already underway, which is why the job search blockade takes effect immediately. The decision remains valid until PAM announces that the blockade has been lifted.

The blockade will continue until all open disputes have been resolved, wage claims have been paid to all employees, and until the company convinces us that it will comply with the collective agreement for the adventure services sector and cease its anti-union activities.

Henna-Kaisa Turpeinen, PAM’s Regional Manager for Northern Finland, stated that there are numerous issues in the company’s operations that need to be corrected: unpaid orientations disguised as courses, unfounded non-disclosure agreements, failure to pay wage supplements, neglect of rest periods and occupational safety, and continuous inappropriate treatment of employees.

To prevent labour exploitation, PAM has proposed among other things strengthening the resources and powers of authorities, tougher sanctions, criminalising underpayment, trade unions’ right to bring lawsuits, low-threshold legal remedies, and changes to contracting and procurement legislation.