Amazon, Meta, and HSBC have been named among the major brands linked to allegations of migrant worker abuse in an analysis from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.
The UK was listed as the most common location for migrant worker abuse in 2024 so far, with the analysis revealing that more than 40 cases of abuse have taken place in the country in the first six months of the year, impacting migrant workers from India, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Ecuador, Spain, Indonesia and Nigeria, among nine other countries.
Large multinational companies were linked to migrant worker abuse occurring in the UK, including Amazon, Deliveroo, security provider ISS, Meta and Uber Eats, alongside multiple private healthcare companies.
Additionally, several well-known UK-headquartered companies and investors were among those linked to allegations of migrant worker abuse: Cotswold Outdoors, Deliveroo, Footasylum, HSBC, JD Sports, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer’s, Next and Sports Direct.
Further reading: Exploitation risk: Putting the S of ESG into strawberries
Isobel Archer, labour and migration senior researcher at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, commented: “The first half of this year has seen repeated, egregious allegations of abuse that point to an appalling truth: many areas of the UK economy which rely on migrant labour are failing to address the very real risks of unfair recruitment practices and exploitation to their invaluable workforces. Many workers are sourced on temporary or seasonal visas that have the potential to keep them in exploitative work situations, while employers are simply not doing enough to respond to well-documented risks of abuse in their supply chains and operations.
“Migrant workers are at risk of extreme abuse throughout the recruitment and employment cycle, experiencing illegal and extortionate fee-charging that leaves them many thousands of pounds in debt – before arriving to find harsh working and living conditions, at odds with what they expected. Workers also cite barriers that discourage or prevent them from seeking and accessing help – from a lack of awareness of their rights, to unscrupulous employers actively discouraging or threatening them into silence.”
UK sectors where abuse is allegedly taking place
According to the report, over 40% (17 cases) of cases were linked to the UK’s health and social care sector which is increasingly propped up with labour sourced from countries in the global south, whose nationals report being charged extortionate and illegal recruitment fees and being subjected to sexual harassment, extremely long hours, wage theft and abuse on arrival.
Meanwhile, 34% (14 cases) of cases were linked to agriculture and fishing, as the Seasonal Worker Scheme continues to be linked to unfair recruitment, poor working and living conditions, including by UN experts. Several cases of abuse were also reported by hotel, restaurant (5 cases), and cleaning and maintenance workers (5 cases).
The most common reported abuses include recruitment fee-charging, including illegal and extortionate charges of up to £20,000; intimidation by supervisors; and barriers accessing remedy.
However, despite the concerning figures around allegations of abuse, the first half of 2024 also saw important examples of worker resistance, including strike action in the UK. Outsourced cleaning staff from Latin America, cleaning Blackheath Prep School in London, took strike action to protest contract disparity, pay and sick leave allowances at Westgate Cleaning Services. And UK Deliveroo drivers took strike action over working conditions outside the gig giant’s AGM.
Archer added: The high prevalence of intimidation is particularly shocking. Workers reported being verbally abused and harassed by employers; employers threatening to revoke their visas; workers experiencing punitive treatment for not meeting excessive production targets, such as being denied work; a worker being repeatedly raped by her employer and not reporting to the police for fear of losing her visa; and workers labouring in a ‘culture of fear’ that left them unable to report abuse to inspectors.
“Intimidation by employers has been exacerbated by the previous Government’s creation of a hostile environment towards migrants. Many say they feel unable to report abuse due to the risk – perceived or actual – of detention and deportation. The next six months cannot see a repeat. With a new government, the UK has the chance to commit to tackling these issues and ensure migrants who form the backbone of our economy do not bear the high cost of employment themselves.”
