🚨 New FLEX Report 🚨 Too often, migrant fishers' lived experiences are not part of the conversation. In "Voices from the Deck: The Workers’ Rights Case for a UK Fishing Visa", we bring their perspectives to the forefront. The stories they tell paint a clear picture:

Great to see the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner @UKAntiSlavery highlighting the crisis happening in fishing in her new report. Migrant workers are forced to operate in a system of dependency that makes them disposable. This must urgently be addressed by policy-makers.

Workers’ rights cannot be contingent on the whims of employers, loopholes or luck. Workers rights must instead be a guarantee, to all workers. This #InternationalWorkersDay, the government must stop making workers disposable. Read our May Day blog: labourexploitation.org/news/interna...

Workers’ rights cannot be contingent on the whims of employers, loopholes or luck. Workers rights must instead be a guarantee, to all workers. This #InternationalWorkersDay, the government must stop making workers disposable. Read our May Day blog: labourexploitation.org/news/interna...

If we were to play a board game where the rules were outright broken, we wouldn’t blame the players; we’d rightfully blame the game itself. So if "irregularity" means failing to meet the visa rules, then we must looks at whether those rules are fair. Read our piece for @freemovement.bsky.social:

Domestic work in a private household is a sector with huge risks of exploitation. Workers cannot keep waiting to have basic safety. The government must stop delaying, and must at minimum reinstate the hard-won rights from the original migrant domestic worker visa.

The BBC’s claims do not reflect reality. Our organisations see victim-survivors facing suspicion, delays and barriers to safety. Misuse is the exception, not the norm. With 92 organisations, we reject this framing and call for evidence-led change ooted in lived experience.

From government and the media, we are constantly told that irregular migrants have chosen to commit some moral failure. In FLEX’s new briefing, we analyse how irregularity is directly connected to the government’s design of migration routes.

This didn't make it into the piece, but a coalition of frontline organisations including @focusonlabour.bsky.social, ELAN, @lawrsuk.bsky.social, @workrights.bsky.social, & @goodjobsfirst.org have made other demands, including safe reporting for migrant workers. trustforlondon.org.uk/research/bui...

Today, the Fair Work Agency launches. It is essential that it has the resources, powers, understanding and implementation to regulate effectively.

As part of this coalition, we've released a new briefing on how to make the Fair Work Agency work for all workers. A key priority is to ensure that migrant workers feel safe enough to report abuse. A robust firewall allows them to do so without fear. Read the briefing here! ⬇️

We are pleased to be part of a coalition calling for 3 priorities to make sure the Fair Work Agency works for all workers: ✅ Proper resourcing ✅ A firewall from Immigration Enforcement so migrant workers can report abuse safely ✅ Transparent enforcement data www.trustforlondon.org.uk/fwa-briefing

Two years ago, Australia introduced a Workplace Justice visa so that workers wouldn't be prevented by their immigration status from bringing an employment claim. With the UK's Fair Work Agency launching in April LEAG has pulled together learnings for the UK labourexploitation.org/publications...

Congratulations from all of us at FLEX to Marissa. Its great to see Marissa's groundbreaking work for justice for migrant domestic workers at @voiceofdws.bsky.social be recognised by @bigissue.com

Great to see opposition to the proposed settlement reforms. In addition to moving the goal posts, proposals would lock people into decades of multiple dependencies on their employer, undermining the ambitions of the Employment Rights Act and Fair Work Agency www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The government's updated its guidance for migrant seasonal farm workers with this helpful advice: If your boss makes you feel unsafe, talk to your boss about it! If that doesn't work, talk to the recruiter your boss pays. Nothing about unions, legal advice, enforcement bodies...

The Home Affairs Select Committee's report on their inquiry into earned settlement was published last week. committees.parliament.uk/publications... This and further scrutiny is vital given the far reaching & cross cutting nature of proposed reforms. The Cmtee recognises this in recommendations 1/

Migrant fishers already face high risks of poor conditions and exploitation. And yet, government reforms mean that by December, migrant fishers will be thrown into even greater risk. Read about how we navigate this oncoming storm: www.ethicaltrade.org/resources/bl...

Survivors of trafficking are regularly subjected to immigration detention and retraumatised. Amid a legal aid crisis that's even worse in detention, they are trapped, with no way of getting desperately needed advice and support.

Last year, FLEX published Uneven Fields, a briefing on women on the Seasonal Worker Scheme. Risks of labour exploitation, from debt bondage to unsafe living conditions, can be heightened by gendered dynamics for women workers on the scheme. #IWD2026

The Right to work is very different to cutting support from people seeking asylum. People seeking safety who are ready to work need support and options. Keeping people temporary while mandating work or destitution will drive exploitation. See the #LiftTheBan statement @asylummatters.bsky.social

Senior Policy Officer, Dr Sophie Cartwright, has written for @bordercrim.bsky.social about access to legal advice in detention. JRS UK's research last year highlighted how difficult it was for people in immigration detention to access any legal support. 📖Read more: www.jrsuk.net/accessing-le...

Some in Government insist that modern slavery claims are being used to get in the way of deportation attempts. This narrative misses that in fact, claims of experiencing modern slavery are met with huge barriers in immigration detention.

Today's announcement that, after today, people seeking asylum in the UK will be kept in long-term limbo creates unreasonable hurdles against integration and recovery for people who have already lost so much.

It’s always brilliant to work with @voiceofdws.bsky.social & these recommendations for the Fair Work Agency are positive & practical & will help make sure the agency is relevant to & trusted by migrant domestic workers

Migrant domestic workers have faced tough conditions and worsening support from successive governments. The Fair Work Agency has the chance to fix that. In a briefing for the FWA made alongside Voice of Domestic Workers, we detail what domestic workers need: labourexploitation.org/publications...

In a guest blog, Kookie Gutierrez reflects on the challenges faced when engaging with Filipino migrant fishers and their experiences on UK vessels. These difficulties might be hard to overcome, but present the very reason why this work is so important.

This is significant news, given that the vast majority - reportedly 70% - of such trawlers are crewed by migrant workers. These workers face poor and dangerous working conditions, alongside low wages and limited-to-no labour market enforcement. www.irishnews.com/news/norther...

With Valentine's Day approaching, we are shining a light on how visa systems strip away the right to family life from migrant workers, effectively commodifying people. Migrant workers deserve the same right to enjoy love and family life as anyone else. labourexploitation.org/news/valenti...

For #RaceEqualityWeek2026, we highlight that workers’ rights are an inherently racialised issue. Structural racism pushes Black, Brown and migrant people into a higher likelihood of low-pay, high-risk work.

By tying migrants' immigration status to employers companies approved to sponsor their visas, a huge amount of dependency is created. That dependency creates risk of exploitation: if you rely on a company to live in the UK legally, what can you do if they scam, extort and exploit you?

Labour & Migration Experts Warn Over Fishing Visa Loophole thefishingdaily.com/uk-fishing-i... #ukfishingnews #ukfishingindustry #fishingnewsUK #commercialfishingnews#fishingnews#fishingnews #dailyfishingnews #MigrantLabourUKfishing

FLEX held an event in Parliament to launch our report, Unravelling the Nets, attended by politicians, regulators, retailers, producers and more. The consensus was clear: the UK urgently needs a fishing visa, to stop the risks of labour exploitation via the transit loophole.

Last hours for Policy Officer applications, and just a few days left for Administrator applications!

👉 @focusonlabour.bsky.social is looking for an Administrator Apply by 25th January, 23:59 👉 @neonuk.bsky.social is recruiting an Operations Assistant Apply by 25th January [3/3]

👉 @rethinkecon.bsky.social is looking for a Communications Lead Apply by 25th January, 23:59 👉 @focusonlabour.bsky.social sky.social is recruiting a Policy Officer Apply by 21st January, 23:59 [2/3]

UK fishing depends on migrant workers. And yet policy changes set to come into effect this year will mean the only way migrant fishers will be able to work will be through a loophole, known as Code 7. For migrant fishers in the UK, this bakes in the risk of labour exploitation.

Looking for something new? FLEX is currently hiring for two positions - Policy Officer and Administrator. For job descriptions, person specifications and how to apply, go here: labourexploitation.org/about-us/opp...

Happy New Year. Want to spend 2026 working to end labour exploitation? We are recruiting for a Policy Officer and Administrator at @focusonlabour.bsky.social labourexploitation.org/about-us/opp...

As we look fwd to Christmas dinner, remember the migrant workforce who make it all possible on our farms, picking & processing our food🎄 These workers should be protected from exploitation but restrictive visa conditions make them vulnerable- @focusonlabour.bsky.social looks at solutions:

Today is #InternationalMigrantsDay. We mark this in an increasingly tough environment, where the political consensus is evermore hostile to migrant workers. We take this day as an opportunity, at the end of the year, to mark FLEX's work advocating for migrant workers and challenging exploitation.

As the immigration white paper is implemented migrant fishers must not be left adrift. We’ve set out policies to make sure they are recognised as workers & able to exercise rights

Labour exploitation in the fishing sector is not simply a matter of individual bad actors; it is underpinned by legal and regulatory gaps. Our new report, out on #HumanRightsDay, provides an in-depth analysis of the seafarer visa, and the impact on migrant fishers.

Today is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. At a time when the UK government is narrowing migration routes, FLEX is highlighting that modern slavery and exploitation are only tackled by designing work migration routes that allow workers to access rights in practice.

This weekend, we sat down with outsourced cleaners from @iwgbunion.bsky.social working in some of London's biggest high-street shops. In our workshops, workers consistently flag the huge gap between what brands think is happening, and what workers actually experience every day.

Last week, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the Omnibus I package, voting to further weaken the corporate sustainability package by watering down company obligations and reducing the number of businesses required to report on their sustainability.

ICYMI: FLEX's briefing "Rooted in Justice: Reimagining migration into UK agriculture" reviews essential changes to the seasonal worker scheme, making the system safer and fairer for migrant workers.

Keeping people temporary makes it harder to find work and more difficult to challenge exploitation if in work. Further limiting support for asylum seekers will increase destitution & remove options creating huge risks of exploitation. This policy making is cruel and will do much harm

The proposed changes to refugee protection in the UK are performatively cruel, and will drive labour exploitation. Read FLEX's statement on the Home Secretary's asylum reform: labourexploitation.org/news/flex-st...