Report: Migrant fruit pickers on British farms face bullying and sexual harassment

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Migrant fruit and vegetable pickers coming to the UK to work on farms are being bullied and sexually harassed, according to a report on the seasonal worker visa scheme.

Workers’ testimonies detail rape threats and harassment in a “pervasive” environment of bullying and humiliation on British farms. Workers also report fainting due to working conditions and wage withholding.

Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) says the introduction of a visa programme three years ago raised concerns about the plight of tens of thousands of workers. The new study now shows the consequences of the government’s inaction.

The workers, many of whom came from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, described “constant shouting” as part of everyday work.

A few pickers reported being sexually harassed. Two told researchers that they were expected to regularly offer sexual services to their employer.

Two workers reported being sexually harassed by other pickers on the farm.

In one case, a woman in her 40s from a Central Asian country was threatened with rape by a group of men on the farm where she lived and worked. She reported the threats to farm management and was called to a meeting with her manager and the eight men who made the threats in the same room, the report said.

She told researchers: “After experiencing this whole nightmare, someone on the farm should be tasked with ensuring the safety of the women working alone.”

She said she hesitated to inform the authorities because she feared that if the farm’s management found out, they “might decide to get rid of me.”

Stephen Kinnock, Labour’s shadow minister for immigration, said the evidence uncovered in the report was “deeply disturbing”.

He added: “Exploitation in the visa system must be tackled and it is vital for both the UK and migrant workers that the system is properly managed, controlled and fair.”

In the new report, FLEX researchers surveyed 83 migrant workers and received 399 survey responses from people who applied for seasonal worker visas between June 2022 and October 2023.

Seven employees reported that they were sometimes expected to provide sexual services to their employer or their employer’s co-workers, and eight people stated that they had experienced unwanted sexual attention or touching while performing their work.

Of the 83 workers interviewed, 13 reported being shouted at, yelled at or humiliated. The researchers said this was to intimidate workers into working faster. Respondents said “constant shouting” was commonplace when working on farms.

A 32-year-old man, Mansur, from Kazakhstan, said: “There are some bosses who bully you and make your life difficult. Sometimes it feels like slavery is legal again.”

He described an incident in which a worker fainted from stress after being verbally abused by a supervisor.

According to twelve employees, their employers threatened to deport them.

Piecework wages, i.e. the prices at which fruit and vegetables are harvested, are being used as a reason for layoffs, the report says.

Two of them were victims of physical violence. A 41-year-old woman from Romania said she was kicked in the legs and told: “It’s okay, you can work.”

A 48-year-old man from Kazakhstan, Amir, said workers picking strawberries and raspberries on a British farm were called “fucking idiots” and “sluts”.

Another man from Kazakhstan, 33-year-old Rinat, spoke about a particularly hot day: “One really bad day was when we worked in the greenhouse with rotten strawberries. We had to wear overalls, masks and gloves. There were flies and dust everywhere and it was 44 degrees.”

Researchers said they had heard numerous reports of people becoming exhausted or fainting due to the heat in the plastic fruit tunnels.

One in 30 workers surveyed said they had been denied pay, and one in 50 said they had not been paid at all. A third said they had not been given sick days, and one in six said they could not easily leave their site due to limited transportation options.

An earlier report based on this research found that migrant fruit-picking workers were burdened with debts of up to £5,500 even before they arrived in the UK – with workers paying an average of £1,231 to middlemen in their home countries.

The seasonal worker visa was introduced in 2019 to address labour shortages in the agricultural sector. Last year, more than 30,000 people arrived in the UK on the visa. Earlier this month, the government announced it would extend the scheme until 2029, despite warnings from UN experts about the risks of exploitation.

Lucila Granada, CEO of FLEX, said: “Three years ago, we identified key issues that pose risks to workers in a pilot project for the UK horticulture sector. Three years on, this wider investigation shows the consequences of putting these issues on the back burner. We must ensure that workers can exercise their rights and that protections and redress opportunities are built into the seasonal worker visa process.”

Labour leader Kinnock added: “The Conservatives have failed to set up the single enforcement agency they promised would crack down on exploitation.”

“Labour would introduce a new, unified enforcement body for workers’ rights and protections that would work tirelessly to prevent these examples of exploitation. We will also look at how we can restrict the use of repayment clauses for relocation and visa costs.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The welfare of all visa holders is of paramount importance. We continue to crack down on poor working conditions and exploitation.”

“Any criminal behaviour should be reported to the police as soon as possible.”