Problem profile - Seasonal Worker Scheme June 2024

Between 01/08/2023 and 30/04/2024, the GLAA processed 34 referrals/reports which were related to the seasonal worker’s scheme.

On average the GLAA receives 5 reports concerning seasonal workers per month. There is some variation over the months, but this is expected due to the seasonality of the work and potential for inclement weather.

The most common allegations received were: 

• Charging of fees for recruitment and/or additional services. Most frequently workers are paying recruitment fees which can be extortionate. 
• Use of unlicensed Gangmasters (ULGM). There were reports of labour providers supplying workers into the GLAA regulated sectors without a licence. Allegations of unlicensed supply of workers generally came from within sector, from those who had been contacted by an ULGM or had been informed by a worker that they had used an ULGM. 
• The quality of accommodation. Complaints mostly related to lack of facilities such as toilets or showers, health and safety issues, lack of electricity or gas and cramped conditions.

Both recruitment agencies, labour users and Unlicensed Gangmaster were reported as potential exploiters.

The most common complaint against labour users was financial exploitation including inadequate pay, withheld wages, no holiday/sick pay and deductions from wages.

Nearly all referrals/reports where a recruitment agency was mentioned as a potential exploiter had allegations of inflated fees being paid for a service. This indicates that seasonal workers being charged excessive fees is still a significant issue.

Worker profile

Visas

Reporting of worker demographics was low. However, from the limited data provided workers were predominantly male, with an average age of 33 and of Bulgarian, Uzbeki, Romanian, Kyrgyz or Kazakh nationality.

The number of seasonal worker visas issued tends to increase during the second quarter of each year, it is highly likely that this period aligns with the application period before the height of the soft fruit picking season, when farms require more workers. 

Q1 of 2024 has seen an increase in applications compared to the same reporting period in previous years (1), suggesting that the applications in Q2 2024 maybe of a record high.