Migrant workers – FairSquare

UK: Worker Interest Group scrutinises government’s responses to parliamentary committee

FairSquare and other members of the Worker Interest Group have provided a parliamentary committee with detailed analysis of the British government’s response to questions on the seasonal agricultural worker scheme relating to migrant worker rights.

Respecting the Rights of Women Migrant Workers: New Report and Guidance

In a new collaboration, FairSquare has worked with the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) to develop a new report and guidance for businesses, detailing how they can ensure respect for the human rights of women migrant workers during recruitment.

New report on COP28’s food and agriculture image and UAE’s migrant workers

The image of climate-friendly menus being pushed at this year’s global climate conference, COP28 in Dubai, UAE, clashes with the stark reality faced by vulnerable communities in the host country, and its impact on the environment, a new report released today unveils.

India should refuse Israeli calls to replace Palestinian workers with Indian nationals

Acceding to any Israeli request for Indian migrant workers would further enable Israel’s war crimes and support illegal settlements

The Indian government should refuse to enter into any agreement with Israel to allow Indian nationals to replace Palestinian workers from Gaza and the West Bank, FairSquare said today. Any such deal would further enable Israel’s forced displacement of the Palestinian population and support illegal settlements, in addition to leaving Indian workers vulnerable to serious abuse and exploitation.

New UK coalition on migrant agricultural worker rights

FairSquare joins Seasonal Worker Interest Group as an associate member.

Today, key civil society organisations and trade unions actively supporting and engaging with migrant seasonal workers in agriculture on the UK’s Seasonal Worker visa are launching a new coalition, the Seasonal Worker Interest Group.

UK Home Office criticised for decision on migrant agriculture worker review

The Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in the UK has criticised the government’s failure to publish a review of the “seasonal workers route”, the scheme in which multiple media investigations and NGO reports have identified labour exploitation and abuse of migrant workers.

The Home Office’s decision not to publish a promised review of the scheme came in a 20 September letter to NGOs – including FairSquare – and other experts from the UK and countries of migrant workers’ origin, who had originally written to the minister in May calling for stronger controls on recruitment processes and other areas to protect migrant workers.

New briefing: COP28 site workers at critical risk of serious heat injury

A new FairSquare investigation, This Weather isn’t for Humans has found that in September 2023, migrant construction workers on Dubai’s COP28 site were put to work outdoors in extreme heat that posed very serious threats to their health and could be fatal, and in clear violation of the United Arab Emirates’ laws designed to protect outdoor workers from its harsh climate.

UAE, other Gulf states exposing migrant workers to potentially fatal temperatures

COP28 hosts should lead the way to protect workers’ health and lives in the face of alarming projections

Extreme and rising temperatures in the Gulf states are placing migrant workers across the region at acute risk of potentially fatal heat-related illnesses and injuries, a new report from the Vital Signs Partnership has found.

UK’s seasonal agriculture visa scheme exposes migrant workers to serious risk of abuse, say rights experts

Migrant agricultural workers in the UK could face comparable risks to migrant labourers in the Gulf, advocacy groups and experts from the UK, Nepal and Bangladesh warned today.

New report on Dutch government, business and human rights in authoritarian states

A new Amnesty International report, produced with the assistance of FairSquare, has found that the Dutch government has incentivized Dutch companies to do business in China, Saudi Arabia and Russia without ensuring human rights due diligence responsibilities are met.