Exploitation in Britain – the food industry exposed

Migrant workers in the UK fill the poorest paid jobs in agriculture, like fruit picking

Exploitation and abusive employment practices persist in the UK food industry according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The report describes grim practices that bind workers to employers but its conclusions do not seem especially groundbreaking.

The study concludes that competitive pressures throughout industry create the conditions for exploitation. It also finds exploitation is not a consequence of isolated criminal employers or agencies but a consequence of competitive pressures driving costs down.

It’s an interesting piece of work, but it is not clear cut.

No workers interviewed in this study were coerced into work. And the authors seem to classify exploitation and ‘forced labour’ as the same .

But the testimonies of the 62 workers interviewed by the JRF describe grim lives characterised by small incomes, poor health and poverty of aspiration.  And this is of interest. The interviews illustrate just how deep the divisions in Britain are – with those at the very bottom being worlds away from those in The Sunday Times Rich List.

And the report identifies some grim practices. One particular employer tactic is particularly noteworthy for its cold cynicism.

The Underwork Scam
The authors discovered the cruel ‘underwork scam’, where more than enough workers are taken on. Each individual is given just enough work and therefore money to stay alive and pay their debts. But they earn no spare money and cannot ‘escape their exploiters’.

According to the report fear of the authorities keeps workers deferent and compliant, regardless of their legal status. The authors say a recent crackdown on illegal workers by UK border authorities ‘appears to have worsened pay and conditions for migrants’ while strengthening the hand of employers.

Interestingly more than half of the interviewees had the equivalent of an A-level qualification. As many had a primary school standard education as were post-graduates. Evidently education is not necessarily a guard against working at the bottom.

You can read the full report here.

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