Migrant workers illegally charged thousands of pounds to secure employment, with some arriving in the UK to find no work is available
In a notable statement issued today, a number of United Nations rights experts have expressed alarm at the systemic deception and exploitation of migrant workers in the UK. They called for urgent reform of the immigration system.
Image credit: WikipediaThree UN Special Rapporteurs and five members of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights said they were alarmed at the protection risks facing migrant workers in the UK, including exorbitant recruitment fees, debt bondage, and undignified living conditions.
Particular concerns were expressed over the Seasonal Worker Scheme, with some recruitment agents illegally charging migrant workers thousands of pounds to secure employment in the UK. Some workers arrive in the UK to find that the promised work is not available.
The UN experts said: "According to allegations received, migrants are deceived about working and living conditions and the nature of their agreements with employers in the agricultural or care sectors. This is unlawful and highlights the need for urgent reform of the current system governing labour migration, to ensure effective protection of the rights of migrant workers."
The experts also expressed deep concern about the lack of safeguards for workers who are left without a job if their employer's licence is withdrawn. Many face threats of deportation.
"Perpetrators of labour exploitation must be prosecuted, and access to justice and effective remedies must be guaranteed to victims. Currently, too many temporary migrant workers have been in a legal limbo for too long and risk becoming destitute," the experts added.
The statement urges the UK to govern work-related migration more effectively.
Yesterday, the Guardian published an article detailing how a number of social care agencies in the UK have been accused of exploiting migrant workers.
According to the Guardian, dozens of migrant workers working for 11 different care providers said they had paid thousands of pounds to agents to secure jobs but had found limited or no employment when they arrived in the UK. Many are now struggling to pay off huge debts.
Johanna White, a solicitor at the Anti-Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU), said: "I can see what look like indicators of trafficking and modern slavery. In many cases, there appears to have been deceptive recruitment, with the individuals being given false information and promises to induce them to pay large fees upfront to the agents for the opportunity to live and work in the UK, being left vulnerable to forced labour, financial exploitation or both."
Professor Nicola Ranger, Acting General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, told the Guardian that the exploitation of migrant workers in the care sector is a national scandal for the UK and little has been done to tackle it.
Meanwhile, Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) today published a new report on the Seasonal Worker Scheme, which finds migrant workers face unfair working conditions and poor accommodation on UK farms.
The 59-page report, Not here for the weather: Ensuring safe and fair conditions on the UK's Seasonal Worker Scheme, is available here.
FLEX noted in a press release accompanying the report: "In the largest independent study of living and working conditions on the UK's Seasonal Worker Scheme to date, FLEX found that many of the migrant workers interviewed or surveyed for the study faced issues such as underpayment, punishingly high picking targets, constant exhaustion, humiliation, bullying, overcrowded and unsafe accommodation, limited ability to take sick leave and issues accessing basic healthcare.
"Many workers reported receiving less hours than they expected. At the other end of the spectrum, others reported working too much – up to 70 hours a week, leaving them exhausted and with inadequate time to take care of themselves. Around one in seven seasonal workers interviewed reported being shouted at or humiliated. Around 1 in 30 were threatened with being deported."
FLEX calls for reform of the Seasonal Worker Scheme, including for the visa to be less restrictive so that workers have options to work more widely within or outside of the sector if there is no work available via their Scheme Operator.