Supplementary memorandum submitted by
HOPS Labour Solutions
HOPS Labour Solutions is a department of the
National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (England and Wales),
and is based at the YFC headquarters at Stoneleigh Park. The core
work of HOPS is as one of the Home Office appointed Operators
of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). In addition
to this HOPS operates its own programme called the Seasonal Workers
Programme (SWP).
HOPS is one of the largest providers of temporary
labour to horticulture/agriculture and recruits up to 11,000 workers
per year to work on approximately 230 holdings across the whole
of the UK. Currently 70% of placements are in the fruit sector
and 16% in the salad/ vegetable sector with the remaining 14%
placed on a wide spectrum of horticultural and agricultural holdings.
SAWS participants are recruited from Romania,
Bulgaria. SWP participants are recruited from the A8 accession
states however principally from Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic,
Latvia and Lithuania.
RESPONSES TO
QUESTIONS
1. Which aspects of the points-based system
do you think best fit the needs of the agriculture and horticulture
sectors, and why?
The nature of the Agriculture and Horticulture
sectors mean there is a large demand for temporary/seasonal workers.
Currently the demand for seasonal labour within the Agricultural
and Horticultural sectors which is not met by UK nationals and
nationals with free access to work in the UK is met through the
Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). The SAWS is due to
be phased out at the end of 2010 and the scheme is not currently
part of the point based system.
The continuation of the SAWS or its replacement would
best fit in Tier 5 of the points based system. This returns SAWS,
or a replacement, to its origin of being a circular migration
cultural exchange scheme which in turn helped to meet the unmet
demand for seasonal labour. Inclusion in tier 5 would add value
to the scheme by placing more focus on participants being offered
an experience over and above just employment. The scheme would
provide a vital source of labour for the sectors that is required
to secure its future and this could be achieved without creating
or adding to any of the pressures commonly associated with full
time migration. To explain some examples the scheme participants
would be accommodated in on site facilities arranged by the host
employer which would result in minimal pressure on local housing.
Participants would not be permitted to bring dependents resulting
in no pressure on the education system.
Additional benefits to the UK would be to foster
close relationships with third countries, be a forerunner with
regard to knowledge transfer to less developed nations of technological
knowhow, skills, and systems and assist British companies in marketing
their products and services overseas.
Therefore a key requirement of the sectors,
seasonal labour, is not met by the points based system.
2. Do you welcome the removal of the Working
Holiday Maker scheme and introduction, in its place, of the Youth
Mobility scheme under tier 5? Will this change still allow you
to recruit temporary student labour?
HOPS Labour Solutions specialises in the provision
of large numbers of low skilled people to work in temporary positions
in the Agriculture and Horticulture Sectors. As a result of this
we have not used the Working Holiday Maker scheme to fill the
vacancies we have available.
Historically our client employers have utilised The
Working Holiday Maker scheme as a source for more senior supervisory/lower
management personnel and higher skilled positions such as machinery
operation in part due to the higher standard of English language
skills and level of experience. Arrangements are more ad hoc where
individuals drift in and out of employment while they travel and
holiday and as a result do not provide the level of reliability
required for the volume of low skilled temporary positions available
in the sectors.
Therefore the removal of the Working Holiday
Maker scheme and the introduction of the Youth Mobility scheme
will not meet the requirements of the sectors for low skilled
temporary positions however it will assist to meet the demand
for more highly skilled positions.
3. Do you think it is realistic to expect
young people entering the UK under the Youth Mobilty Scheme to
have £1,600 in savings, as stipulated by the Government?
Currently there are only four countries registered
to participate in the scheme, Australia, Canada, Japan and New
Zealand. In the case of these four countries it is realistic that
young people are expected to have £1,600 in savings. In the
future should countries with lower earning potential register
to the scheme then young people who would benefit the sectors
may be excluded purely because of their background which is not
realistic.
It is unclear to the objective of the condition and
what is to be achieved through having it in place.
February 2009
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