When 26-year-old Ben left Uzbekistan for the UK in June, he was excited about more than just working on a British farm. He looked forward to visiting new cities, making friends, and gaining new experiences.
“I wanted to see new places, cities I’ve never seen before,” he said. “I wanted to make friends, exchange ideas and make new memories.”
However, Ben’s expectations were not met. He found the farm owners in Scotland to be demanding and unresponsive to workers’ concerns. He was also disappointed when he was not paid for all the work he had done.
“I was surprised because the employer just pays you what they want, even if that is [different from] your contract,” he said. “They come up with various excuses.”
Workers Claim They Were Underpaid
Ben is just one of many migrant workers who say they were not paid fairly. Instead of receiving wages based on the hours they worked, their pay was linked to the amount of crops they picked. This payment method left many workers unpaid for time spent moving between fields, attending meetings, or waiting for instructions.
Last year, about 45,000 workers from other countries traveled to the UK to work in agriculture under the seasonal worker visa. This program started in 2019 to help with labor shortages caused by Brexit.
The Worker Support Centre (WSC), a Scotland-based organization that helps seasonal workers, reported that 99 workers contacted them about payment problems last year. More than half of them said they were not paid properly because their wages were based on how much they picked, not the time they spent working.
Calls for an Investigation
The WSC, along with the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Anti-Slavery International, and other organizations, has written to the Low Pay Commission. They are asking for an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into the issue.
Philippa Stroud, chair of the Low Pay Commission, said she was concerned about the evidence presented by the WSC.
Ben shared his experience of traveling long distances to fields without being paid for the time spent on the journey.
“You work in the fields during harvest season, and it’s no secret that not all fields are located around the farm,” he said. “Some fields [take] hours to reach – but the employer doesn’t pay for that time.”
Complicated Payslips Make It Hard to Understand Pay
According to UK law, all seasonal workers must be paid at least the national living wage in England or the agricultural minimum wage in Scotland. However, the WSC says that using picking targets instead of hourly wages makes it hard for workers to understand their pay. Many workers believed they would be paid per hour but were only told about the picking targets after they arrived at the farm. Some workers kept track of their working hours and found that their pay did not match the time they spent working.
The WSC examined 38 payslips from 18 workers across 11 farms in Scotland and England. The findings showed serious issues:
- Only two payslips included payments for in-work travel.
- Only one included pay for breaks.
- 34 payslips did not include payments for meetings or time spent receiving instructions and equipment.
Payslips reviewed by The Observer showed long and complicated lists of products with wages based on the type and weight of the crops picked. Valeria Ragni, the operations manager at WSC, explained the issue.
“From our analysis, it does not look like these workers were paid for the whole time they spent at work,” she said.
Employers Also Struggle to Understand Payslips
Ragni added that even some employers admitted they had trouble understanding the payslips.
“Some payslips are so confusing they make it impossible for workers to enforce their rights. We need payslips to clearly document the hours and times worked, and to indicate employers’ methods for calculating them, so workers can accurately assess whether they’re being paid for the work they have done.”
She also pointed out that the problem is likely bigger than reported. Many seasonal workers do not speak out because of their insecure job status and fear of losing work.
Calls for Fair Wages and Better Protection
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, stressed the need for better treatment of migrant workers.
“Everyone should be paid fairly for the job they do. It’s time to crack down on bad bosses exploiting and underpaying seasonal migrant workers below the legal national minimum-wage level.”
Stroud also expressed her desire to learn more about the experiences of seasonal workers.
“A variety of evidence suggests migrant workers are more vulnerable to underpayment and less likely to report when it happens,” she said.
Government Promises Action
A government spokesperson responded to the concerns, saying that they would work closely with scheme operators to ensure the fair treatment of migrant workers.
“We will always take decisive action where we believe abusive practices are taking place,” the spokesperson said.
The growing number of complaints from workers like Ben highlights the need for urgent reforms in the UK’s agricultural sector.
