UK: Unions highlight impact of supermarket purchasing practices on worker rights as migrants protest exploitation outside govt. offices
They were promised decent wages and conditions, an ¬opportunity that could change their lives, and they found nothing of the sort…They were denied work, bullied by their supervisors and given the worst fields, because they were a different race for supervisorsCatherine McAndrew, Landworkers’ Alliance.
In January 2025, it was reported that migrant fruit and vegetable pickers, mainly from Latin America, protested in the UK outside government offices to highlight migrant farmworker exploitation in the country. The protest was backed by unions including the Landworkers’ Alliance and Unite.
Protestors include workers employed by Haygrove, who allege wage theft, unfair dismissal, discrimination and harassment at Haygrove farms. Employment tribunal hearings on the case are due to begin at the end of January; Haygrove disputes the claims.
The Landworkers’ Alliance emphasises how worker exploitation is partly due to extreme pressures from supermarkets to drive down prices, and due to the fact workers are employed by third-party agencies.
An article by The Guardian also emphasises how the planned increase in inheritance tax which will come into affect in April 2026, which farmers have been protesting in January, could leave less value in farms and result in lower pay for workers.