Worker representation is an important part of protecting migrant workers and fostering better business practices. As highlighted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ILO Conventions 87 and 98, all workers have the right to freedom of association.
The seasonal workers tending the fields in the UK’s agricultural sector are no exception. Sadly, there are no known examples of representation among workers on the UK’s seasonal worker visa (SWV), which was instituted after Brexit, and they face multiple barriers to achieving it. These migrant workers are used as a cheap foreign labour force. For them this key human right is denied.
I have worked with seasonal migrant workers since 2019, and I worked on a British farm myself back in 2004. Comparing my experience to what SWV holders go through today, I can see how privileged I was to be protected by the EU’s laws both as a worker and as an EU citizen.
