Migrant seasonal agricultural workers. Why is their work unseen, undervalued and under protected.

The working conditions of those workers that put the vegetables and fruits on our tables is increasingly in the spotlight of public attention. Migrant workers in the agricultural sector are pivotal not only in securing the continued functioning of global and national food supply chains, but play a key role in development of agriculture systems and economies. Despite this, the reality of seasonal agricultural work is a harsh one, often seen as low-status work, with generally poor working and living conditions.

The UK and EU fruit and vegetable sector continues to be heavily dependent on a non-national labour force, either from other EU Member States or third countries employed through seasonal agriculture worker programmes. The nature of the work- carried out in precarious and irregular work situations- is known for being labour-intensive, requiring high numbers of agricultural workers working in isolated settings for a limited duration of time. The shifting dynamics of the global phenomenon of migration movements is growing in complexity, with agro-food workers coming from other regions. In the UK seasonal agricultural workforce are no longer relying on workers from Central Europe. Instead, an increasing casual labour comes from Central Asia, now replacing seasonal workers from Central Europe.

The temporary characteristic of seasonal employment contracts, deficits in their access to basic social rights or healthcare, language barriers and the high degree of precariousness are some of the factors putting ?seasonal migrant workers – and? female particularly – vulnerable to exploitation. In the UK the House of Lords published a new report following an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Independent [1] exposed significant substandard conditions and structural abuse for migrant seasonal workers. The follow-up hearing and investigation exposed regular situations of abuse, including threats of deportation when workers didn’t meet production quotas, and poor levels of occupational safety and health.

Workplace accidents and illnesses are frequent with falls, back injuries due to bending, kneeling and heavy lifting being prevalent. Migrant workers are heavily exposed to long working hours ( ranging from 10 to 18 hours in some cases[2]), violence, and sexual harassment in the case of female workers, ?unsafe machinery, repetitive movements and awkward postures. Many of these workers lack access to adequate housing, that makes resting and recovery periods more difficult. In the context of climate change, excessive exposure when working under hot or cold temperatures can lead to workers developing long-term health conditions. The temporary feature of the working arrangements difficult health and safety protections, and makes traceability of their occupational health difficult to monitor. Workers -many of them illiterate- lack of adequate training and access to personal protective equipment.

In light of the harsh experiences of many migrant seasonal agricultural workers, effective solutions will remain difficult to address if a more integrated approach is not actioned in the origin, covering the whole employment cycle (from recruitment to returning to the country of origin) through sectoral, national and international mechanisms, and by placing a stronger emphasis on migrant-centred policies and a stronger coherence between migration and employment and occupational safety and health regulations.

Improvements on the provision of decent accommodation, promoting sustainable working hours, extending access to healthcare and insurance, and securing a minimum floor of occupational safety and health provisions are some of the interventions that need to be implemented by employers, recruitment and intermediary agencies, with a robust oversight from competent authorities.

Other initiatives look at providing safe complaint mechanisms, assistance on employment matters or the provision of ‘buddy’ systems that support workers in their mother tongue. Investment it in enforcement and proactive inspections should be resourced in order to prevent exploitation and the risk of modern slavery and for effectively sanctioning illegal and unethical recruitment and management practices.

Migrant seasonal agricultural workers deserve better. Their right to a safe and healthy working environment needs to be safeguarded both in transit and at the place of employment. In order to ensure better working conditions, migrant seasonal workers need to ‘be able to access decent work in safe environments free from discrimination and exploitation and have their labour and human rights protected wherever they are living and working’. [3]

[1] The Bureau of investigative journalism. New report urges stronger protections for UK’s seasonal workers. https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023-11-06/new-report-urges-stronger-protections-for-uks-seasonal-workers

[2] Council of Europe. Precarious and irregular work situations of migrant seasonal and domestic workers. https://rm.coe.int/revised-report-precarious-and-irregular-work-situations-of-migrant-sea/1680adae89#:~:text=However%2C%20evidence%20has%20revealed%20a,and%20limited%20access%20to%20justice.

[3] A/78/180: Protection of the labour and human rights of migrant workers - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a78180-protection-labour-and-human-rights-migrant-workers-report-special