Fake identities are increasingly occurring in the Swedish labor market Boden has now enlisted a company that can help counter this trend, joining forces with H2 Green Steel to prove it.
The work of Sistec is sometimes, somewhat routinely, referred to as background checks. However, Tobias Eng, the company’s sales and marketing manager, explains that this term is highly misleading. He states that they specialize in identity checks to ensure that the person intending to work is indeed who they claim to be.
– We ensure that those conducting background checks investigate the right person.
Fake identification documents and disreputable international agencies have become a problem at several Swedish workplaces. During checks and in accidents, it has been revealed that individuals employed by the companies do not have the right to stay in the country. In fatal accidents, this has also led to difficulties in identifying the deceased.
Right Permits
To counteract this, Sistec has created a system that aims to verify the authenticity of the identification documents and that they correspond to the person’s real identity. But they also help companies and individuals to do the right thing.
When hired to assist a client, they establish contact with the company and its subcontractors. They ensure that all necessary permits are in place and provide guidance on how to obtain them.
– In this interaction, it quickly becomes apparent how serious a company is. It’s not uncommon for international operations to be unaware of the permits required to work in Sweden, but if they do not address this after our contact, it’s a warning signal for us,” says Tobias Eng.
Met all persons
Once all permits are in order, the company also ensures that the individual who will stay in Sweden has the right to do so and to work. However, they also perform a final identity check.
– We meet everyone we investigate. This means that all of the approximately 250,000 people we have approved have met an employee at Sistec. All our 28 employees work very operationally. But it’s necessary for us to perform this with quality.
It is also Sistec that will review and approve all workers who will be in Boden to build H2 Green Steel’s green steel plant over the next two years. The steel company has chosen to use Sistec’s service to prevent labor crime.
– Unfortunately, we often come in after a check when it is discovered that the employer does not know who is present at the workplace. What H2 Green Steel is doing is revolutionary for the industry,” says Tobias Eng.
Uniquely Good Oversight
H2 Green Steel has chosen to link the identity check to the ID06 system used in the building and construction sector in Sweden. The system’s main purpose is to promote safety at the workplace and ensure fair competition by verifying that all present are correctly identified and have the right to work in the country. By requiring all individuals to carry an ID06 card – a personal identification card with a photo and other relevant information – an effective presence control is enabled, while combating undeclared work and other forms of economic crime.
At the steel mill construction, all individuals who receive an ID06 card will meet a Sistec employee who verifies that it concerns the right person.
– I dare say that no other construction site in Sweden will have as good oversight of who is working there as H2 Green Steel. Here, we get to come in before the workers come to Sweden, which improves both our process and the workplace,” says Tobias Eng.
Photo: Sistec
Sistec was founded in 2019 and has since helped around 7,500 employers in various sectors. Most of these companies are from abroad. They operate 20 service offices around the country and have recently established another one on Kungsgatan in Boden.
– It is very exciting to be here. We see Boden as a long-term investment where we are present in a region that is growing and developing, and where we can contribute positively with our expertise.
