Since 2022 workers have been seeking help with unsafe caravan accommodation, for which they pay a high price. A farm-based caravan shared by six workers in 2025 costs up to £1940 per month.
WSC identified part of the reason for such poor living conditions is that there is a gap in checks on caravans, with no standards established in law, and no government agency checking whether accommodation is fit to live in. Through our advocacy the Scottish Government agreed there is a gap that needs to be filled.
In summer 2024 the Worker Support Centre brought together 13 workers from across three different farms to meet Richard Leonard MSP. They raised and discussed the subject of poor quality and expensive caravan accommodation on their farms. The news broadcaster ITN also reported on the problem, interviewing workers and showing viewers what caravans look like.
In October 2024, WSC joined Richard Leonard MSP to meet the Scottish Government to discuss the issue and secured a commitment from Ministers to research the problem and develop solutions. WSC also held a meeting with workers, the Scottish Government Minister for Equalities, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of Slavery present including a focussed discussion on worker housing.
We are now waiting for the Scottish Government to respond and meet workers that have been part of this campaign to hear from them about how they plan to make workers' homes safe.
The UK Government too is looking to Scotland to understand how to make all workers' homes safe.