Medan, Indonesia – Indonesian workers who paid thousands of dollars to take fruit to the United Kingdom say they face the prospect of returning home heavily in debt after being fired for not meeting unrealistic targets.
Migrant worker Abdul said he left for the UK in May with nine other Indonesians under the country’s seasonal worker scheme, which gives foreign workers six-month visas to work on British farms.
Hired by UK recruiter Agri-HR, Abdul was sent to Haygrove, a farm in Hereford, about 215 km (135 mi) southwest of London.
“A friend of mine who had already moved to the UK told me about the opportunity. He said I could earn $65 a day picking fruit,” Abdul, who asked not to use a pseudonym, told Al Jazeera.
Abdul, who earned about $130 a month at his previous job as an ice cream seller in Central Java province, said he borrowed about $4,000 in loans from family and friends to pay fees to two Indonesian third-party organizations – a recruitment agency. PT Mardell Anugerah International and a worker hub called Forcom – as well as out-of-pocket expenses for travel to the UK.
Abdul said workers at the hagrove were expected to pick 20 kg of cherries and strawberries per hour, which they found an impossible task due to the scarcity of the fruit – a problem that worsened as the harvest season continued.
“We [the Indonesian workers] were always placed on the edge of plantations where there was little fruit. Many times, we were given trees that were not in good condition and we picked all the fruits there, but we could not do anything more,” he said.
Abdul said he and four other Indonesian fruit-pickers received three written warnings before being fired within five to six weeks of arriving at the farm.
He also alleged that other workers who did not meet the target were not let go.
“When they let us go, Hagrove just said, ‘Sorry, we didn’t want this either’, and gave us an official letter saying we were kicked out and our tickets to Indonesia were returned the next day, ” he said.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Hegrove said the workers had been let go for poor performance and was “committed to fair employment practices and the well-being of all our workers”.
“On June 24, 2024, five Indonesian workers were dismissed following a thorough and fair disciplinary process due to persistent poor performance. The dismissal was conducted in accordance with our structured performance management processes, which include multiple phases of feedback, training and support,” Pharm said.
The UK’s main agency for investigating labor exploitation, the Gangmasters and Labor Abuse Authority (GLAA), launched an investigation into the case earlier this year.
According to the GLAA Licensing Rules, “a licensee shall not charge a fee to a worker for any job-seeking services”. However, other expenses such as travel and medical examinations may be recovered as long as they are voluntary.
“Additional goods or services must be optional and cannot be discriminated against if not taken,” the rules state.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, the GLAA said it was looking into the workers’ complaints.
“We are currently investigating the recruitment processes for a number of Indonesian workers in the UK and are working to establish the specific circumstances. At this time, we cannot comment further while the investigation is ongoing,” it said.
Hegrove said it takes allegations of misconduct “very seriously” and is fully cooperating with the GLAA’s investigation.
“We were unaware of any illegal recruitment fees until concerns were raised by a third party and subsequently reported to the GLAA by Agri-HR. Hagrove has a zero-tolerance policy for such practices and actively supports the GLAA’s investigation,” Pharm said.
“We emphasize that no issues have been raised directly by Indonesian workers regarding their recruitment, accommodation or working conditions at Hagrove.”
Following their dismissal by Hegrove, Abdul and two other workers decided to remain in the UK.
Abdul has since found work at another farm picking lettuce, although his six-month visa is set to expire in November, after which he must return to Indonesia.
PT Mardell told Al Jazeera that Indonesians wishing to take advantage of the UK’s seasonal worker scheme must be able to cover other processing costs, including the cost of visas, medical examinations, return plane tickets and insurance, according to the provisions set by the Indonesians. Department of Labor.
“The estimated cost required is a maximum of 33 million Indonesian rupiah [$2,123]A company spokesperson said. “All the workers we have hired in the UK are very happy to be able to work there with a very good salary. The farms also pay close attention to their welfare,” the spokesperson said.
PT Mardell also said “there is no relationship between PT Mardell and Forcom”.
Forcom did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Several other workers waiting to leave the UK told Al Jazeera they were also burdened with debt.
Ali, a seasonal worker applicant from Central Java province, said he had been waiting to go to the UK even after FORCOM allowed him to leave in August last year.
“They said if I went to the UK, I would earn $65 a day picking strawberries. I had to stop working in Indonesia so I could focus on getting all the documents together, but then I couldn’t leave,” Ali, who asked not to use a pseudonym, told Al Jazeera.
Ali said he now owes his family about $1,300.
“I have spent all my money. Before this I used to buy secondhand goods and sell them on the roadside. I was doing it for 25 years and it was enough to pay for my family,” he said.
“All the information about the plan was sent by Forcom, and they made promises they didn’t keep. PT Mardell also said that we need to transfer money to them to secure our work in the UK.”
“My wife and children are suffering because all our money is gone,” Ali said. “I cannot pay for my children’s school fees and their pocket money. My family has been affected the most. Now I always fight with my wife because we don’t have money.
In a statement sent to Al Jazeera, the Indonesian embassy in London said it was aware of reports of Indonesian fruit-pickers being exploited in the UK.
“The Indonesian Embassy in London supports the Indonesian government’s efforts to ensure the placement of Indonesian migrant seasonal workers in England in accordance with the regulations and applicable laws in both countries,” the embassy said.
The embassy said it was aware that 136 seasonal workers had arrived in the UK and had been placed in seven workplaces in England by 22 July 2024.
“The placement of seasonal workers was done in accordance with the recommendations of the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower and verification and consultation with the relevant authorities in the UK,” it said.
Addressing allegations of charging illegal fees during the recruitment process, the embassy said it “supports investigations and law enforcement by authorities in Indonesia and the UK, including pushing for investigations by the GLAA”.
Andy Hall, a labor rights activist who supports Indonesian workers, said Brexit was causing UK companies to increasingly turn to migrant workers.
“This means they are now recruiting workers from far-flung places, but they don’t want to pay their fees. If anything goes wrong, it’s a really dangerous situation because the workers think they’re going to make a lot of money,” Hall told Al Jazeera.
“It is the fault of the UK side. The system is broken and the actors are broken. They are idle and naive. They have set up a scheme in which the workers have to pay their own price, but they can do it right and, if they run it right, everything will be fine.”
Hall said supermarkets in the UK are a major part of the problem because they want to buy produce at a cheaper price, which means farms don’t want to pay the cost of hiring workers in return.
“Farms don’t want to pay the recruiters, and the recruiters then expect the workers to pay for themselves,” he said. “Supermarkets are responsible for all this mess. They have the money to do this properly. All this is just a squeeze on prices.”
Post Indonesian fruit-pickers say seasonal work in the UK has left them in debt appeared first Al Jazeera.