Worker Support Centre

Ensuring our new Fair Work Agency rises to the challenge for all Scotland’s workers  – Worker Support Centre On Friday 6th March, we are co-convening a practical discussion on the enforcement needs of workers at risk of labour abuse and exploitation in Scotland.

We'll be asking:
How do we ensure the new agency rises to the challenge for all Scotland’s workers?

Read more on our website (workersupportcentre.org.uk/2026/03/05/e...)

graphic image of lots of diverse people

On 7 April the new Fair Work Agency launches.

Tomorrow, with @melaniesimms.bsky.social, Prof. Ruth Dukes & Dr Eleanor Kirk @glasgow.ac.uk, we’re bringing together key voices to explore what this shift in labour market enforcement means for workers in Scotland.

(image:Zdravka Boudinova-Zdravolina)

Get involved – Worker Support Centre Explore the ways you can support our work. This includes contributing funds that keep our vital services running, applying for roles with WSC or proposing a collaboration.

We're #hiring for two amazing roles!

⭐A Communications Manager to lead brand new @therobertsontrust.bsky.social funded three year hope based communications work at WSC.

✨A Policy & Participation Officer to support our policy work.

Check out both & apply!

workersupportcentre.org.uk/get-involved/

We're hiring! Check out our Policy and Participation Officer role below!

Come and join our amazing team and make a real contribution to welcoming every worker to Scotland and ending exploitation.

Partner with incredible workers to make change happen, join a movement working for change.

New Low Pay Commission (LPC) Report, (featuring much WSC evidence!) key findings for seasonal farm workers:
- re-iterated that Gvt must ensure minimum standards for housing.
- found payslip confusion contributes to lack of trust & transparency.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69807f...

YouTube video by Worker Support Centre Come & meet the Worker Support Centre!

Come and meet our team and find out about our work in this short video.

Our newsletter is out now, and features this lovely introduction to the team and how we make change happen together with workers.

Check out the video & sign up for our newsletter!

www.youtube.com/shorts/zuUD6...

Policy and Participation Officer with The Worker Support Centre – Goodmoves The Worker Support Centre (WSC) is a Scotland based charity. We partner with people who have come to the UK to work on visas or temporary contracts. We provide advice to secure their rights, en...

Policy and Participation Officer @workersupportc.bsky.social - advancing seasonal agricultural and social care workers’ rights by supporting WSC’s policy and advocacy work.

🕗Full time
💵£32,000 – £34,000
📍Perth

Find out more at tinyurl.com/mwfuzmwv
#Hybrid #Policy #Advocacy #Rights

‘Neglected in the community’: Home care failings exacerbated by immigration changes Staff shortages in home care in Scotland has left elderly and vulnerable people "neglected" in the community, it has been claimed.

We spoke to @rebeccamccurdy.bsky.social for this piece on social care staff shortages.

"Caroline Robinson [..] told The Herald that some care workers become displaced “overnight” [..] workers are “being penalised” because their employers lost their licence."

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2571006...

It was good to hear The First minister mention Worker Support Centre in his response to @richardleonardmsp.bsky.social on seasonal farm worker housing conditions yesterday at FMQs, but workers need urgent action to ensure standards are in place BEFORE the May elections & the 2026 picking season.

Fruit farm workers living in 'unsafe' and 'damp' caravans A video shows some fruit farm workers living in damp, overcrowded and unsafe caravans.

Today BBC reports on one worker's experience of squalid housing on a UK farm.

People who pick our food deserve the same basic right as anyone else: a safe, warm place to live.

We're calling for urgent implementation of standards for farm worker housing.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Welcoming Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney MSP, to our office on Friday

We shared our 5 Step Exploitation Prevention Model and shared footage of squalid housing many workers in his constituency live in, paying high rents.

Full post on our website!

workersupportcentre.org.uk/2025/12/15/w...

And if you want to follow our work into 2026 sign up for our newsletter here:

workersupportcentre.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

WSC 2025 round-up: A year of worker power! – Worker Support Centre As 2025 comes to a close, we’re proud to share our first newsletter detailing some of the moments where workers led the way, shaped change and built the foundations for a fairer Scotland.

We believe everyone should be safe, valued and respected at work - no matter our job or nationality.

In 2025 workers across Scotland have showed what that looks like in action.

Check out our FIRST EVER newsletter to hear more about this work.

workersupportcentre.org.uk/2025/12/10/w...

Help shape the future of social care in Scotland. Join others committed to making a difference & take our short, anonymous survey now. Your voice matters.
👉 bit.ly/48CxbC1

#SocialCare #YourVoiceMatters #CareSector

Thanks! This is the result of tireless effort from the workers with whom we partner, who've spent precious time sharing their views with politicians & gvt on how the UK can ensure seasonal farm worker housing is safe, affordable & warm.

Now we work for strong standards that are enforced for all.

WSC Annual Report 2024 – Worker Support Centre

See cases in our Annual Report 2024:
workersupportcentre.org.uk/resources/ws...
"Dismissals have catastrophic consequences on workers’ livelihoods. Workers greatly fear dismissal because of the need to repay debts incurred to come to the UK and the impact on their chance of future work"

This is something we've raised since "day one" rights were first mentioned.

Farm workers here on temporary visas remain without unfair dismissal protections-even when returning every year.

Last yr we had 145 dismissal cases: used as a threat, used when people complain, used to maintain power.

Creating a labour enforcement standard to protect all workers in Scotland – Worker Support Centre On Wednesday 26 November 2025, the Worker Support Centre (WSC) will bring together regulators, trade unions and frontline organisations to answer a central question: what should effective labour enfor...

How do we create labour enforcement standards that protect all workers in Scotland as the UK's new Fair Work Agency comes into view?

Tomorrow we’re bringing together regulators, trade unions & experts to discuss.

Read more about this work here:
workersupportcentre.org.uk/2025/11/25/c...

Banner illustrating an article about seasonal agricultural workers in Scotland

🆕Seasonal agricultural workers: co-creating resources to enhance rights’ awareness. Report on an event funded by an SCGA engagement award. @workersupportc.bsky.social scga.scot/2025/11/21/s...

The seasonal worker visa’s structure impedes union organising, with workers in the country for no longer than six months. But with the scheme ongoing since the 2019 pilot and looking like it’s here to stay, it makes sense to ask whether major unions could be doing more to overcome these challenges

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?”

WSC featured on BBC programme about seasonal farm workers in the UK – Worker Support Centre This Wednesday 22nd October BBC File on 4 Investigates broadcast a programme about the treatment …

Last week, the @workersupportc.bsky.social (WSC) was featured on a BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Abused for Our Food’ which exposed the reality faced by seasonal farm workers in the UK.

You can visit the WSC website to listen to the programme in full.

workersupportcentre.org.uk/2025/10/24/w...

Don't let tribunal fees undermine the government's Plan to Make Work Pay The government’s Plan to Make Work Pay promises stronger protections for workers, but apparent proposals to reintroduce employment tribunal fees risk undermining that progress.

Apparent proposals to reintroduce employment tribunal fees - last seen in 2013 under the Con-Dem coalition and scrapped following a successful challenge by UNISON - stand to undermine improvements (to some areas) in the Employment Rights Bill @timsharp.bsky.social www.tuc.org.uk/blogs/dont-l...

This is really important work…

Labour’s Employment Rights Bill may well transform workers’ rights. But only if people can access justice and enforcement of remedies can’t be dodged.

Do you really have rights at all, if the barriers to asserting them are so difficult to overcome?

New report on @scga.bsky.social co-developed by us with students and academics @uofglasgow.bsky.social as part of a project to understand seasonal agricultural workers' rights and entitlements in relation to their

💸 Pay and
✈️ visas

In Scotland.

⬇️ Check it out at the link below.

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.

🌱 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...

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 ⬇️

One year of action by and for workers on seasonal worker housing – Worker Support Centre

🏡 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...

WSC is recruiting a Community Engagement Officer to work on our new Building Bridges project – Worker Support Centre We all want to feel safe, valued and respected at work – no matter who …

We are recruiting!

WSC is looking for a new Community Engagement Officer in Perth and Kinross to work with local community groups, organisations and individuals and to connect workers to support that exists locally.

Check out the role and share widely:
workersupportcentre.org.uk/2025/09/19/w...

Thanks to support from our friends!
@therobertsontrust.bsky.social @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk @gaatw-is.bsky.social @workrights.bsky.social @tuc.org.uk @mellino.bsky.social @richardleonardmsp.bsky.social @maggiechapman.bsky.social @povertyalliance.org @justrightscotland.org.uk