The 2022 FIFA World Cup. It was coming home … until it wasn’t, again! While the excitement built, off the pitch Qatar was making headlines for the desperate plight of the migrant workers brought in to help erect the stadiums. ‘Hundreds of thousands of Nepalis were part of an army of migrant workers who remade Qatar for its World Cup moment. But in chasing desperately needed paychecks abroad, many pay a heavy price,’ wrote Tariq Panja and Bhadra Sharma in the New York Times, though this costly reality had been well documented long before the fans arrived.

As Qatar v Ecuador kicked off in late November, the treatment of migrant workers became the subject of dinner table conversations across the UK, often for the very first time. Would you or wouldn’t you watch Messi or Ronaldo in the light of the treatment of migrants? Nelson Mandela once said: ‘Sport has the power to change the world.’ Even after the final whistle, we have no assurances that the biggest football event in the world will create any long-lasting change in Qatar. For those involved in ELAN’s Migrant Workers Working Group, the conversation about Qatar remains at the dinner table and we’d also like to see an impact closer to home, in the poultry farms of Norfolk and the construction sites of south London.

Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) is a research and policy organisation working towards an end to labour exploitation. Peter Wieltschnig, FLEX’s policy and networks officer, reports that the UK’s current immigration policy is creating a two-tiered workforce that treats certain migrant workers as commodities. ‘While the 2022 FIFA World Cup brought attention to the exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar,’ he says, ‘little attention has been paid to how some of the UK’s visas replicate these risks of exploitation and abuse for migrant workers.’

Migrants are disproportionately represented among NHS workers, carers, construction workers, cleaners, delivery drivers and farm workers. ELAN members are regularly contacted by migrants working in modern slavery conditions, facing discrimination, contract violations, abuse and exploitation, and unsafe working conditions. Peter elaborates: ‘The growing evidence of the exploitation of migrant workers as a result of [the government’s] immigration policy responses to post-Brexit labour shortages, such as on the Seasonal Worker visa, demonstrates how visa restrictions, such as no recourse to public funds conditions, time limits on the length of stay and restrictions to particular work sectors, combined with high visa costs, can push people into situations of abuse and exploitation.’

For migrant workers facing these challenges, what solutions are there? For those lucky enough to find support through ELAN members like the Work Rights Centre (WoRC), solutions are complex and slow. Lora Tabakova, WoRC’s service provision and development manager, tells us of Slav, a migrant agency worker in the construction industry. He had been employed by an agency as a labourer at a daily rate of £125 and was struggling to recover two days’ wages (£250) for work dating back to October 2022. He sent multiple emails and complaints to the employer, without any success. WoRC sent additional emails trying to resolve the issue. The agency’s HR and payroll departments did not take the matter seriously and Acas early conciliation began in November 2022. The employer failed to engage in the conciliation process. In January 2023, the Acas early conciliation certificate was issued and WoRC sent a final email informing the agency that unless a payment was made within 48 hours, Slav would take the issue to the tribunal. He finally received his outstanding money that same week. All this effort for what seems like a small issue and yet Slav is one of the luckier ones.

Lora explains: ‘While the amount of two days’ wages seems insignificant to some, it is not for Slav. That intervention from WoRC and so many steps were needed for a resolution illustrates the hurdles that even well-integrated migrant construction workers need to overcome. The picture is even bleaker when an individual is self-employed or in fear of their immigration status due to misinformation from unqualified social media advisers and street accountants, and the hostile environment immigration policy.’

The hostile environment policies criminalise irregular work and deter vulnerable people from accessing support and protection. The system prioritises immigration enforcement over safeguarding of workers and enforcement of labour rights and standards. Workers who experience exploitation are unable to seek help for fear of being reported to the authorities. The absence of secure reporting pathways has equipped unscrupulous employers with the tools to keep exploiting migrant workers.

As much as we urge positive change in Qatar, we also need to press for reform of policies and law in the UK. We must ensure that the costs of flawed visa routes are not borne by migrant workers, and that they are able to work with dignity and respect, and with proper access to support if they face labour rights abuses. The well-being of all workers, including migrant workers, matters. We must demand more before 2026 and the 23rd FIFA World Cup, when the biggest sporting show on earth moves to Canada, Mexico, and the USA.