Indonesian labourers who paid thousands to travel to Britain for fruit-picking jobs at a farm supplying major supermarkets have been sent home within weeks for not meeting productivity targets.
One worker revealed he had sold his family’s land and their motorbikes to afford the over £2,000 cost of coming to Britain in May. He now finds himself unemployed and in distress, having sacrificed nearly all his possessions.
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) is investigating allegations that several workers were charged illegal fees up to £1,100 by an Indonesian organisation promising expedited access to the UK.
The worker, who earned approximately £100 a month selling food in Indonesia, said his parents were “very disappointed” as he had sold everything for a chance to support his family. He expressed feelings of confusion and anger, stating, “I have no job in Indonesia and I’ve spent all my money to come to the UK.”
The Guardian has interviewed four of the dismissed workers, finding evidence in three cases of fee payments to a third party in addition to over £1,000 transferred for flights and visas to licensed recruiters.
These allegations of illegal fees underscore concerns about exploitation within the seasonal worker scheme, which offers six-month visas for farm work but places all financial risks on the workers.
New immigration minister Seema Malhotra is expected to review exploitation within the work visa system. The Migration Advisory Committee recently recommended that seasonal visas continue to “ensure food security” but with enhanced protections, such as guaranteeing at least two months of work.
Haygrove, a Hereford-based farm supplying British supermarkets with soft fruit, issued warning letters about picking speed to five workers before dismissing them five to six weeks after they began. Their recruiters booked flights home the following day.
The workers reported being required to pick 20kg of cherries per hour. One of the sacked workers remarked, “It was very hard to meet the target because day by day there was less fruit.” He is now over £1,100 in debt after borrowing from “the bank, friends and family.”
Beverly Dixon, Haygrove’s managing director of farming, stated that the farm had subsidised the men’s wages due to poor performance and had supported them to improve. She said targets were based on achievable standards, with most pickers often exceeding the required speed.
The five men, who arrived in mid-May, were dismissed on 24 June after earning between £2,555 and £3,874. Many were left with significant debts after deducting travel and living costs.
Two of the men absconded to London, refusing to board flights home on 25 June. They have since secured new jobs in a packhouse following intervention from a migrant welfare activist.
Andy Hall, a specialist in migrant labour rights, highlighted that the seasonal workers bear the brunt of the scheme’s risks, not supermarkets, farms, or scheme operators.
The GLAA investigation, initiated last month, is focusing on allegations of illegal recruitment fees in Indonesia.
Dixon expressed Haygrove’s concern over the financial challenges faced by the Indonesian workers and their full support for the GLAA investigation.
The Guardian previously reported that Indonesians came to Britain with debts up to £5,000 to unlicensed brokers in 2022. Consequently, AG, the British agency that recruited them, lost its licence. Despite these issues, recruitment from Indonesia resumed this year through a new UK recruiter, Agri-HR, in partnership with the Indonesian agent PT Mardel Anugerah.
However, workers allege that Forkom, an Indonesian communication hub for overseas workers, charged fees for expedited UK access. This recruitment without a licence is illegal under UK and Indonesian law.
Agri-HR has requested a GLAA investigation into these allegations. Workers reported that Forkom pressured families of those who absconded, with one worker’s family receiving a 3am visit.
In messages to a Forkom WhatsApp group, chair Agus Hariyono encouraged pressure on families of absconding workers and allegedly instructed workers to delete records of any payments to Forkom. He claimed his organisation merely conveyed messages to prevent visa overstays.
Delif Subeki of PT Mardel Anugerah stated his agency was introduced to Forkom by the Indonesian ministry of manpower and prioritised its members, informing applicants not to pay third-party fees.
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