Safeguarding workers on temporary migration programmes: study

Summary and structure of Report

Despite successive reports indicating high risks of exploitation on UK temporary migration programmes, the short-term SWV was established in 2019 in light of labour shortages arising from the UK exit from the European Union (Defra and Home Office 2018). Whilst Scottish horticultural growers are now dependent on the SWV for a growing proportion of their workforce, a visa with inherent risks of exploitation presents a serious problem to workers, growers, retailers, and the Scottish government. The example of an open work permit for workers at risk of or experiencing abuse, like those implemented in Canada and New Zealand, deserves consideration as possible policy option for Scotland. Whilst acknowledging the risks inherent in temporary migration programmes, open work permits offer a possible interim safeguarding route for workers.

This Report will consider the Canadian OWPVW in more detail, seeking to draw on this case study to understand what opportunities and risks an open work permit for workers at risk of or experiencing abuse presents for Scotland. The case study section starts by providing detail on temporary migration programmes in Canada, then the development and design of the open work permit for at-risk temporary foreign workers pilot conducted in BC from 2016-18. It then reviews the design, implementation, and outcomes of the OWPVW, considering what it has meant for workers and their advocates and what lessons have been learnt over the three years it has been in place. Finally, the Report draws on the case study for discussion and reflects on the transferability of this approach to Scotland, presenting a range of options for the Scottish Government.