Caroline Robinson
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carolinerobinson.bsky.social
Caroline Robinson
@carolinerobinson.bsky.social
Executive Director Worker Support Centre (WSC) | Co-founder/Former Director Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) | Editorial Board Anti-Trafficking Review Journal.
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
Great work by @mellino.bsky.social

Why no one is organising seasonal workers?

We've discussed with workers through 2025

@carolinerobinson.bsky.social WSC

“They feel like things have been raised already, and there’s a lack of care about those issues in the UK in general – so what would change?”
The answer isn't that workers themselves are not organisnig. There are several wildcat strikes that fly under the radar, but without support, they often fizzle out.

Some have even organised protested at the Home Office, as shown in this photo.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
November 12, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Really proud of this work by @workersupportc.bsky.social its been developed with workers, built on evidence and centred on changing the system.
🌱 Who wants to work a 12-hour day and be paid for eight?

No one, yet we found widespread underpayment of seasonal farm workers.

So we're
💻 calling for policy change &
📝 equipping workers with tools to evidence time & pay.

Check our our new post!
workersupportcentre.org.uk/2025/10/02/m...
Making sure all farm workers are paid for the hours they work – Worker Support Centre
Launching our brand new guide: Know your rights and evidence your work.
workersupportcentre.org.uk
October 2, 2025 at 9:53 AM
From workers highlighting horrific housing conditions to last week's Scottish Parliament discussion on how to address the gap in oversight.

This gap affects @ 45,000 people who come to pick our fruit & veg annually (who spend 20% of their wage on housing)

Read @workersupportc.bsky.social blog ⬇️
🏡 New WSC blog: Housing

Many seasonal farm workers live in cold, unsafe caravans without legal protections.

Last night Cab Sec for Housing,
@mairimcallan.bsky.social
confirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to closing this gap.

Read our response!
workersupportcentre.org.uk/resources/on...
One year of action by and for workers on seasonal worker housing – Worker Support Centre
workersupportcentre.org.uk
September 29, 2025 at 10:03 AM
It was incredibly exciting to launch this news yesterday.
🤝 our essential work with care workers
💻 our new website [www.workersupportcentre.org.uk]..&
⛰️ our new office in Perth, the Fair City!

I'm super proud of our team & whats been achieved & excited for the next step in our journey.
Today we're proud to share 3 major milestones:
🤝 Launching our new Worker Power stream, standing in solidarity with carers who've come to the UK to look after our loved ones.
🌱 A brand new website & look - link in bio!
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Opening our new office in Perth, in the heart of Scotland.
Big news from WSC: Standing in solidarity with the workers who care for us – Worker Support Centre
The Worker Support Centre is really proud to make three big announcements today. We believe …
workersupportcentre.org.uk
September 11, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
Today #worlddayagainsttrafficking Scottish Government published their new Trafficking & Exploitation Strategy,with prevention at its core.

Read our statement welcoming this new approach, which could represent a significant step forward for Scotland.

workersupportcentre.org.uk/wsc-welcomes...
WSC welcomes new Scottish Government Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy | Worker Support Centre
workersupportcentre.org.uk
July 30, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
Seasonal agricultural workers reported wage theft & widespread payslip confusion in 2024, we partnered with workers to highlight this issue.

So we're pleased that the UK Director of Labour Market Enforcement has now committed to a review on payslips
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68779f...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
July 28, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
"Rosa" harvests strawberry in Santa Maria, CA: We work piece rate and I get paid $2.50/box. I work very fast as I have to pack a lot of boxes each day to earn enough to pay my rent and bills. It's a very tiring job. #WeFeedYou
June 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Much to say about this report considering legal costs to workers of the Seasonal Worker visa. A couple:
1. Its focus is far too narrow when we know so many are paying illegal costs & fees;
2. Without effective labour market enforcement we've no way of ensuring EPP won't be passed on to workers.
New by @mellino.bsky.social UK Gvt commissioned report explores "Employer Pays Principle" for agricultural worker recruitment costs.

WSC Director @carolinerobinson.bsky.social
"raised concerns that some of the report’s proposals, like introducing a loan system, could in fact worsen exploitation"
June 3, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
This Tuesday @ariane-burgess.bsky.social shared WSC cases of unsafe agricultural worker accommodation in the Scottish Parliament.

Her amendment to the Housing Bill tried to tackle lack of oversight of this housing.

Scottish Government says its addressing this.

We look forward to hearing how.
May 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
We are thrilled to launch the digital version of our new special edition Migrant Voice newspaper. We are sharing the first hand experiences of migrants, on a wide range of topics.
www.migrantvoice.org/home/pagenew...
Migrant Voice: special publication launched
A one-off Migrant Voice newspaper delivered to selected MPs and other opinion-makers is now available here.
www.migrantvoice.org
May 2, 2025 at 2:35 PM
This International Workers' Day Kevin (chosen pseudonym) writes with such insight on this visa:

"I was transported to work on other farms. The treatment on some of those farms was much better, but my employment was tied so I was unable to move without a transfer."
Pleased to celebrate International Workers Day with the publication of an article by a real champion of workers' rights.

Kevin (chosen pseudonym) spent 6 months in Scotland as a seasonal agricultural worker in 2024 & shares his experience & analysis in SLR:
scottishleftreview.scot/picking-with...
Picking Without Freedom: The Struggle of Seasonal Workers
Kevin, a seasonal agricultural worker from Uzbekistan, and Caroline Robinson of the Workers' Support Centre, are pioneering a new model for building workers' power.
scottishleftreview.scot
May 1, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
Pleased to celebrate International Workers Day with the publication of an article by a real champion of workers' rights.

Kevin (chosen pseudonym) spent 6 months in Scotland as a seasonal agricultural worker in 2024 & shares his experience & analysis in SLR:
scottishleftreview.scot/picking-with...
Picking Without Freedom: The Struggle of Seasonal Workers
Kevin, a seasonal agricultural worker from Uzbekistan, and Caroline Robinson of the Workers' Support Centre, are pioneering a new model for building workers' power.
scottishleftreview.scot
May 1, 2025 at 9:05 AM
I was very pleased to be part of this cross-membership project by @gaatw-is.bsky.social this winter, the inaugural edition of a new GAATW Annual Publication launched earlier this month.

This first ever edition (of many) considers:
(In)formal pathways to justice

www.gaatw.org/images/2025/...
www.gaatw.org
April 28, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
We can't create a better future without understanding our past.

Congrats to the @oneworldcentre.bsky.social for their hard work creating the Breaking the Chains Slavery Trail.

It informs us of Dundee's history with slavery, while also connecting us to local & global justice issues ✊
April 24, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
Find us in Glasgow (9th May) and in London (12th May) for the launch of The Precarious Migrant Worker! @politybooks.bsky.social

More info here: interregnum.ghost.io/book-launch-...
Book launch: The Precarious Migrant Worker, Polity (Glasgow and London)
In the desert of neoliberal precarity, how do we struggle? We invite you to the book launches for The Precarious Migrant Worker: The Socialization of Precarity, taking place in Glasgow (9th of May 202...
interregnum.ghost.io
April 15, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
2/2 Issue #1: (In)formal Pathways to Justice
It explores how migrant & trafficked individuals seek justice—through both formal systems & informal avenues. Read it & share your thoughts: gaatw.org/resources/pu...
Reframing Narratives: Anti-trafficking from the ground up - The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW)
This is the website of GAATW - the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women - a network of over 80 organisations worldwide, working to ensure that the human rig
gaatw.org
April 8, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Really interesting findings from Valeria Ragni on pay, looking into payslips from 11 farms employing workers on the UK Seasonal Worker visa.
Have you seen our new blog on PAY?

54 seasonal agricultural workers reported non-payment of wages to us in 2024 & so WSC's Valeria Ragni reviewed 38 payslips from 11 different farms to see whether workers' time was accounted for.

This is what she found:

workersupportcentre.org.uk/time-to-make...
Time to make work pay | Worker Support Centre
workersupportcentre.org.uk
March 13, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
New Observer article from @everebecca.bsky.social on the seasonal agricultural workers that weren't paid for hours worked last year & confusion around hourly vs piece pay.

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Worker Support Centre helped 99 workers with pay issues last year, here's what we found:
‘Exploited’ migrant farm workers in UK paid for picks, not hours
Call for investigation into unfair payment for labourers on seasonal visa scheme
www.theguardian.com
February 24, 2025 at 8:59 AM
This sounds super interesting!
...: the Socialisation of Precarity @politybooks.bsky.social which looks certain to be an essential handbook to both decode neoliberal atomisation of worker solidarities & 'building up' workers' rejection of class injustice. I can't wait for that www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
www.politybooks.com
February 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
New BBC report on @workersupportc.bsky.social work out today!
Thanks BBC for covering the 703 cases and enquiries that we worked on in relation to seasonal agricultural work in 2024!

Issues workers reported include:
Restriction of workers movement
Non-payment of wages
Unsafe housing
Health & safety hazards

Read more here ⬇️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article....
More migrant workers seek help over UK farm exploitation claims
The UK government says it always takes
www.bbc.co.uk
February 14, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
Following up on the written evidence to the Commons Committee on the Employment Rights Bill from @thebigbogg.bsky.social I've had a few more thoughts!
rangeofreasonableresponses.com/2025/01/09/m...
More thoughts on “Fire and Rehire”
Back in November I wrote about the Employment Rights Bill and its proposal to ban the practice of ‘fire and rehire’. I suggested that the very narrow ‘financial difficulties’ exception that the Bil…
rangeofreasonableresponses.com
January 9, 2025 at 1:08 PM
New article in @lemonde.fr on experiences of workers on UK Seasonal Worker visa in agriculture inc. important testimony from workers.

I spoke about @workersupportc.bsky.social 2024 findings on under-payment-workers reporting 12 hrs daily work with just 7-8 hrs pay.

www.lemonde.fr/economie/art...
Le cauchemar des migrants employés dans les fermes britanniques
Pour remplacer les ouvriers agricoles européens chassés par le Brexit, le Royaume-Uni recrute en Indonésie, au Népal et en Asie centrale. A l’arrivée, ces travailleurs, qui se sont souvent endettés po...
www.lemonde.fr
January 8, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
New Year New Job!

WSC is advertising 3 exciting new roles.

Policy and Participation Officer
Peer Engagement Officer (Agriculture)
Peer Engagement Caseworker (Care)

Come and join us as we grow our reach and build worker power to prevent exploitation.

workersupportcentre.org.uk/wsc-is-recru...
January 8, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
Up for a new challenge in 2025?

Join the Worker Support Centre! If you want to make a difference for workers, we're recruiting for three new roles:
Policy and Participation Officer
Peer Engagement Officer (Agriculture)
Peer Engagement Caseworker (Care)
workersupportcentre.org.uk/wsc-is-recru...
WSC is recruiting! | Worker Support Centre
workersupportcentre.org.uk
December 23, 2024 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Caroline Robinson
🎉 As part of our International Migrants Day celebrations we are delighted to partner with the University of Westminster HOMELandS Centre for our exciting event on tomorrow marking how "Migration Makes Britain Great"
Find out more, and register, using link below👇
www.migrantvoice.org/whats-on/joi...
London: Join us to celebrate International Migrants Day 2024!
London: Join us to celebrate International Migrants Day 2024!
www.migrantvoice.org
December 10, 2024 at 5:09 PM