Indonesian Fruit Pickers in UK Burdened by Debt after Being Dismissed for Unrealistic Targets

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Indonesian workers who paid thousands of dollars to work in the UK under a seasonal worker scheme are facing heavy debts after being dismissed from their jobs within weeks of arriving. The workers, including Abdul (a pseudonym), were recruited to pick fruit at Haygrove, a farm in Hereford, England, under the UK’s seasonal worker visa program, which grants six-month work visas. They had hoped to earn around $65 per day but were instead let go for failing to meet unattainable picking quotas.

Abdul had borrowed around $4,000 from family and friends to cover recruitment fees and travel expenses. He and four other Indonesian workers were tasked with picking 20kg of cherries and strawberries per hour, which proved impossible due to the poor condition of the fruit trees. Despite their efforts, the workers were dismissed after multiple warnings, receiving notice just five to six weeks into their contracts.

Haygrove, in a statement, said the dismissals were due to poor performance after a fair disciplinary process. The company asserted its commitment to fair employment practices and stated it was cooperating with an investigation by the UK’s Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). The GLAA is looking into allegations that workers were charged illegal recruitment fees, a violation of its licensing rules.

Abdul’s debt has left him in a precarious situation. Despite finding work at another farm picking lettuce, his visa is set to expire in November, and he will soon have to return to Indonesia. The recruitment agency, PT Mardel Anugerah International, claims the costs for visa processing, travel, and other necessary expenses are in line with Indonesian labor regulations. However, the Indonesian Embassy in London, aware of the reported exploitation, is supporting investigations into illegal fees and poor working conditions.

Another seasonal worker, Ali (a pseudonym), is similarly burdened with debt. After paying around $1,300 in fees, he has been unable to secure work in the UK, leaving his family in financial hardship. Ali says he was promised lucrative earnings but now struggles to support his wife and children. Both Abdul and Ali accuse third-party agencies in Indonesia of making false promises and charging high fees, which left them with little recourse when things went wrong.

Labor rights activist Andy Hall criticized the UK’s seasonal worker scheme, arguing that it has become a dangerous gamble for migrant workers. He points out that Brexit has increased the UK’s reliance on foreign labor, but companies are unwilling to cover recruitment costs. This has led to a system where workers, desperate for better pay, are saddled with upfront costs that they cannot recover if dismissed early.

Supermarkets are also part of the problem, Hall said, as their demand for cheap produce drives farms to cut costs, including those related to recruiting workers.