A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, looking at forced labour in the UK food industry, has said that foreign workers in the industry often live in inhumane conditions in a permanent climate of fear.
The research looked at 62 workers in particular, who came from Poland, China, Lithuania and Latvia, and found that many were subjected to racist or sexist bullying which, added to the fact that most were unable to speak English, left them unaware of their rights and feeling isolated and depressed. Many were also significantly in debt having been forced to pay fees to agents. More than two-thirds of those questioned said that they were working more than 50 hours per week and were being paid less than the minimum wage, while illegal deductions were also being taken from their wages.
The case brings to mind the Coroners and Justice Act, which made forced labour a criminal offence, though the authors of the report doubted whether those responsible would be prosecuted as the exploitation may not have been severe enough to fall foul of the law. The report also looked at solutions which may include a strengthening of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority powers, more union backing and tougher action from HM Revenue and Customs to try and deal with minimum wage violations.
