They asked for the help of their country's embassy
Hundreds of Indonesian fruit pickers are facing problems working in Britain
Indonesian workers obtain a visa that authorizes them to work in the field of picking fruits only.
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Workers suffer, especially those who come at the end of the season.
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About 200 Indonesian pickers in the United Kingdom have been seeking diplomatic assistance since July, after encountering difficulties working this season in Britain, according to the Indonesian embassy.
The Guardian spoke with two workers, who were sent to a strawberry farm in Scotland.
The two workers said that they did not get the job, which would lead to the accumulation of debts on them.
The embassy says the real number of people in trouble is probably much more than 200, given that many seek help on behalf of many working on the same farms, and others do not have the proper confidence to approach the embassy.
The most common problem among workers is that there is not enough work on the farms, especially for people who have arrived late in the season, which reduces their chances of finding work to pay off the debts they incurred to come to the UK.
The seasonal entry visa that these people obtain allows them to come to the United Kingdom and stay for only six months, and work there is not guaranteed throughout this period.
Exorbitant expenses
An Indonesian worker said that he borrowed money in April to be paid to the local office on the Indonesian island of Java, amounting to about 4,650 pounds sterling, in order to be able to come to Britain.
The man said that the simple work entrusted to him in Scotland means that he will get 200 pounds a week, which will not help pay his debts.
Two months later, he was fired as a result of warnings given that he worked slowly, leaving him with £1,700 in debt and without a job.
Ross Mitchell, the managing director in charge of fruits at Castleton Farm, said he could not comment on specific cases, adding that the farm “has taken disciplinary measures, as all companies do when dealing with issues related to performance,” and that this is audited annually, and is Strictly regulated.
He said that the happiness of the worker is of paramount importance, and that it employs about 1,000 people annually, about 70% of whom return to their homes.
Mitchell said the company employed 106 people from Indonesia, of which 70 are still there.
He added that they work an average of 41.81 hours per week, earning £450.68 before expenses such as accommodation are deducted.
And 1,450 Indonesians came to Britain as seasonal workers, according to figures released recently.
They were recruited by the "AG" institution, which is among the four British institutions licensed to provide employment.
The Guardian had mentioned that the AG Foundation has no experience in Indonesia, and therefore it resorts to the Zubara Foundation to provide employment, which imposes fees on job seekers, according to a source from the same institution.
But AG director Douglas Eames says: “Under UK law, workers should not pay any fees to work in the UK.
However, it appears that this law is not applied in all countries.
The most common problem among workers is that there is not enough work on the farms, especially for people who have arrived late in the season.
Change of visa
An official at the Indonesian Embassy in Britain, which manages workers' affairs in the UK, said that initially these workers sought help to change their visa status because they thought they could move to another job easily.
"They started coming to us after that, and they have problems related to the farms," he added.
The official said that a small number of them had problems with the living conditions in the wooden caravan rooms, especially since the weather gets very cold.
He added, "At the present time, most of the people who contact us no longer have any work in the farms, so they are trying to change the visa they hold so that they can move to another job."
One workman complained that the simple work he had been given in Scotland meant that he would earn £200 a week, an amount which would not help him pay his debts.
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