The Guardian has revealed that Indonesian workers picking berries on a farm that supplies Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have reported facing thousands of pounds in fees to unlicensed brokers in Bali to find work for just one season in the UK. One worker told the Guardian how he had pledged his family home in Bali as security for the debt and feared he would lose it. Immigrant rights experts said the possibility of being trapped in debt slavery puts workers at risk of effectively forced labor. Hundreds of Indonesian farm workers have been recruited to work on farms across Britain this summer on seasonal worker visas, the migration route created to deal with a post-Brexit farm labor shortage. Indonesia’s Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (BP2MI), a presidential task force, sent four officers to investigate brokers on several islands last week. It is understood he is still on the field. BP2MI chairman Benny Rhamdani said in a statement that he was “disturbed” by allegations of overcharging for overseas jobs and that it was “a very serious problem”. Rhamdani added: “This practice is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. Overcharging is part of the crime of worker exploitation.” He said he was disappointed that no representative from the UK government had yet met them to help them take their inquiries forward. The British Embassy in Jakarta told BP2MI it was up to the Gangmasters and Labor Abuse Authority (GLAA) to discuss this and they were arranging an initial meeting with them this week. A UK investigation by the GLAA into the recruitment process is ongoing. Supermarkets have offered support and are pushing to ensure any compensation owed to workers is paid. Many of the Indonesian workers brought to the UK this summer ended up at Clock House Farm near Maidstone in Kent, which supplies soft fruit to most major supermarkets. Clock House said it remains “deeply concerned” by the allegations and that it innocently relied on a licensed recruitment agent in good faith. The workers were sourced from AG Recruitment, one of four UK agencies licensed to recruit using seasonal worker visas. The AG denied any wrongdoing and said she knew nothing about Indonesian brokers charging money. AG had intended to recruit from Ukraine before the war broke out and had no previous experience in Indonesia. He sought help from Jakarta-based Al Zubara Manpower, which in turn went to brokers on other islands who charged exorbitant fees to the people they introduced, according to an Al Zubara agent. AG Recruitment chief executive Douglas Amesz thanked the Guardian for “shining the spotlight on the vulnerabilities of these workers and exposing the bad practice that took place in Indonesia”. Amesz met Balinese workers in Jakarta who remember him telling them that they should not pay any fees for jobs and that it was illegal. But they said local brokers told them not to reveal what they paid. Amess said he was in contact with Indonesian authorities and “willing to understand the events that took place [there]”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He said the AG conducted its own investigation “by contacting our Indonesian workers directly and working with our client growers to interview the workers. Their welfare is our primary concern” Two days after the Guardian article was published, Al Zubara suspended his Indonesian employment permit in the UK for 48 hours. The Ministry of Manpower said the suspension was a “warning” and that it was lifted “because Al Zubara is committed to solving the problem and providing protection to Indonesian migrant workers”. A spokesman for Clock House, one of several UK farms where AG provided Indonesian workers, said: “It seems to be useful for the [British] the government and the AG in particular to explain how these issues can arise if adequate due diligence has been conducted and there is a thorough process?’ They said the farm, which will not take any more workers from Indonesia, “should be able to rely on the government and the four approved suppliers, but it seems clear that it is not able and not allowed to use any other source. [It] It has therefore set up its own process to try and prevent it from happening again and to help those who may be affected.” A GLAA spokesman said this type of investigation was “often difficult and complex” and that it was “committed to working with other law enforcement agencies and NGOs to tackle this issue”. The spokesman said it had no jurisdiction outside the UK to investigate allegations of labor exploitation, but “will try to offer any assistance the GLAA can”. Andy Hall, an independent migrant rights expert who investigates issues of forced labor in supply chains in Asia, said farms, supermarkets, recruiters and law enforcement in both countries needed to make a concerted effort to dealing with complaints. “Paying the buck and claiming a lack of primary authority or responsibility to resolve these cross-border issues by any of these actors in any country has to stop,” he said. A government spokesman said improvements to stop exploitation had been made every year to the seasonal worker program since it was created three years ago. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said supermarkets were “ready to support any investigation and remain committed to meeting high standards of welfare for all people working in their supply chains”. He added: “We are liaising with the Government, permit operators and farmers to ensure the Seasonal Worker Scheme continues to protect employment rights as it recruits workers from further afield.”
