A new short guide published by the charity New Europeans aims to provide clear and concise information and support to seasonal migrant workers who take temporary work in agriculture in the UK.
aims to inform migrant agricultural workers in the UK employed under the Seasonal Workers’ visa scheme about their rights while working in the UK on a Tier 5 visa. In plain language it outlines what rights workers are entitled to and which services are available including the NHS and access to public funds.
The UK edible horticulture sector relies heavily on seasonal workers to plant, harvest and pack crops. 94% of seasonal workers in the UK are EU nationals. Brexit, travel restrictions and quarantines have all posed unprecedented challenges to recruitment, yet seasonal workers remain essential to ensure food security throughout the pandemic and beyond.
The guide was co-produced by New Europeans UK in collaboration with the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds, and with COMPAS, and will be available in a number of other languages in the coming weeks.
For more information on the Feeding the Nation research project, which examines the recruitment and experiences of seasonal agricultural migrant workers throughout harvest seasons 2020 and 2021, go to
https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/project/feeding-the-nation-seasonal-migrant-workers-and-food-security-during-covid-19-pandemic/
