One of the UK’s biggest fruit producers is facing a legal challenge from a seasonal migrant worker and her union over allegations of harassment and discrimination at a farm in Herefordshire.

United Voices of the World (UVW) union believe it is the first claim of its kind, marking the first time a seasonal worker has launched a legal challenge at an Employment Tribunal...

Julia was one of a group of migrant seasonal workers recruited from Chile in 2023...

In July, Julia led the first recorded wildcat strike by seasonal workers in the UK at a farm in Herefordshire, which saw some 88 workers walk out over health and safety concerns, claims of wage theft and alleged degrading working conditions.

Workers felt pushed to take strike action after finding out they would be charged over £400 more than the cost of the flight they had agreed to pay back. Haygrove has since accepted this was a mistake and is investigating the overcharge with their travel agents.

According to Julia, after the strike action her and dozens of other workers were forced to flee the farm over the working conditions and pay...

The union has raised allegations of whistleblowing victimisation after health and safety issues were raised at the farm, as well as an alleged breach of contract, with the employer accused of failing to provide from day one the 42 hours of work Julia was verbally promised when she was recruited in Chile leading to the loss of hundreds of pounds, the union has claimed.

Haygrove has refuted all allegations and called them “materially factually incorrect and misleading”. The company pointed to “unprecedented cold weather in July” which meant workers were unable to start work immediately at the time of arrival...