Great-Britain : new app to combat modern slavery in agricultural work

This new UK app aims to inform companies and workers in order to help tackle worker exploitation in the agricultural sector, and is an attempt to respond to labour exploitation situations that have come to light as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. The Farm Work Welfare app was commissioned by the Church of England’s modern anti-slavery programme – The Clewer Initiative – and was developed in collaboration with key organisations in the field, including the UK’s leading labour exploitation investigation body, the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), Fresca Group (fresh produce distributor), and the NFU farmers’ trade union. Its aim is to provide fruit and vegetable growers with practical information and advice to help them eliminate labour abuse and exploitation from their recruitment processes, as well as to inform fruit and vegetable pickers of their rights. The app also includes a feature that allows concerned colleagues to report potential cases to the dedicated public Modern Slavery Helpline. Likewise, employers can report concerns about a labour provider direct to the GLAA.