"Indonesians who paid thousands to work on UK farm sacked within weeks", 21 July 2024

Indonesian workers who paid thousands of pounds to travel to Britain and pick fruit at a farm supplying most big supermarkets have been sent home within weeks for not picking fast enough.

...

Haygrove... gave the man and four other workers warning letters about the speed of their picking before dismissing them between five and six weeks after they started work. They were booked on a flight home by their recruiters the next day.

...

Beverly Dixon, the managing director of farming at Haygrove, said the farm had consistently had to make up the men’s wages because of poor performance and had supported them to try to improve. She said targets were “set based on achievable standards with the majority of pickers sometimes achieving more than double that speed”.

...

Dixon said Haygrove was “deeply concerned” to hear of the “alleged financial challenge faced by the Indonesian workers, particularly if one or more paid an illegal recruiter in Indonesia” and the farm was fully supporting the GLAA investigation.

...

...Indonesia had been considered a risky country to recruit from, but the route was reopened this year by a new UK recruiter, Agri-HR. It worked in partnership with the Indonesian agent PT Mardel Anugerah....

...

Agri-HR said: “On hearing these allegations, Agri-HR immediately contacted the GLAA with the request to investigate these claims. The GLAA interviewed some workers that same day and are continuing with their investigations and further worker interviews have taken place and are scheduled.”

....

Delif Subeki, of PT Mardel Anugerah, said his recruitment agency was introduced to Forkom by the Indonesian ministry of manpower and made a commitment to “give priority” to members. Subeki said it “clearly informed” applicants that it was not using any third parties for recruitment and that no fees should be paid.