Hundreds of migrant workers in the UK food industry live in a climate of fear, are poverty stricken, subjected to inhuman conditions and indebted to gangmasters, according to a report published today by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
'Experiences of Forced Labour in the UK Food Industry' records a catalogue of abusive practices in the food industry. Researchers spoke to 62 migrant workers.
Quoting from the report, here are the key points:
- "The most notable and unexpected forced labour practice was the 'underwork scam' – recruiting too many workers and then giving them just enough employment to meet their debt to the gangmaster.
- A significant proportion of interviewees paid fees to come to the UK and secure work, creating indebtedness and dependence.
- Workers were threatened and bullied. Racist or sexist language was sometimes used in the workplace, underpinning a climate of fear. Some employers used fear of dismissal to ensure that workers remained compliant and deferential.
- Productivity targets and workplace surveillance were excessive; workers felt they were treated like machines rather than people and given targets that were often impossible to meet. Informal employment brokers frequently provided workers with tied accommodation, which was often sub-standard; workers thus experienced exploitation at home as well as in the workplace. Losing their job might also mean losing their home.
- It is difficult to say whether the exploitation reported was severe enough to constitute forced labour, but the evidence indicated that employers were infringing many rights.
- Low-wage migrant workers appear especially vulnerable to forced labour, despite most of those interviewed having the right to live and work in the UK. The intensity of work in the food industry, driven by economic pressures throughout the supply chain, contributes to such exploitation."
