UK: CSO report finds exploitation risks for displaced Ukrainians, incl., labour exploitation amid lack of access to "decent work"
In March 2023, Focus on Labour Exploitation released a report analysing the exploitation risks experienced by displaced Ukrainians on the UK’s Ukraine humanitarian visa schemes. The findings are based on interviews conducted in 2022 with local authorities, strategic migration partnerships, and civil society organisations. The report emphasises four main issues: housing insecurity, challenges around work and labour exploitation, immigration insecurity, and challenges identifying or acting on trafficking or exploitation.
On risks associated with labour abuse, participants highlighted how access to “decent work” is limited. Participants emphasised that the Homes for Ukraine Scheme could be misused as a way of sourcing cheap labour, and that Ukrainians in the UK on the seasonal worker visa scheme were not adequately informed of their right to transfer to the “more generous” Ukraine Extension Scheme, which includes, for example, access to public funds.
The Seasonal Worker Visa Scheme remains a source of massive concern. It’s a visa Scheme with really poor working conditions and there are still Ukrainians on that visa Scheme now [as of October 2022, when this interview was done]. But it’s not clear that any outreach has done to kind of make sure everyone knows they can apply under the Extension Scheme and has been helped to make these applications…they [the Scheme Operators] could be reaching out to people and telling them about how to get a better visa. It’s probably not in their financial interest to do that [...]Research Participant