As always I want to thank everyone who spoke to me, but especially @drellac.bsky.social for convincing me to write the piece, and the members of the Unite agriculture subsector, whose honest reflections were essential in helping me understand the union and members' perspectives.

Unite did make some efforts to organise workers on a seasonal visa, but that was 20 years ago, when it was still TGWU.

The campaign was successful in improving conditions on the farm, but those successes were short lived, because members left the country at the end of the season.

But there are barriers, some structural, the six-month visa makes member retention incredibly difficult, and others are a matter of union culture.

In other countries, like Germany and Canada, unions have invested resources in supporting seasonal workers.

The answer isn't that workers themselves are not organisnig. There are several wildcat strikes that fly under the radar, but without support, they often fizzle out.

Some have even organised protested at the Home Office, as shown in this photo.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...