2025 Annual Report
The workers who pick Scotland’s food and care for our loved ones are driving real change. Our new report tells the story of how we are building a Scotland that welcomes every worker, together.
Executive Summary
Growth, deepened impact and worker-led change
2025 was a year of growth for us at the Worker Support Centre – in team size, in reach and in impact. We opened a new office in Perth, launched a new website and expanded into Scotland’s social care sector for the first time.
But for us, growth isn’t just about numbers. It’s about workers having more say, more connection and more power. Guided by our belief that everyone should be safe, valued and respected at work, we partnered with hundreds of workers in seasonal agriculture and social care – and together, we drove lasting change.
Throughout 2025, workers defined what Scotland’s stated Fair Work ambitions should look like in practice: having an effective voice without fear, fair pay for all hours worked, and safe and decent housing. By sharing their stories with government officials and parliamentarians through public dialogue writing and even art, workers gave Scotland’s decision-makers a new understanding of the essential work they do.
“For what we’re paying, we could rent a flat in town and live like normal people”
Worker testimony, Scottish Parliamentary Committees meeting, September 2025
What We Achieved Together
Workers led the way
Despite facing serious challenges – their visas tied to one employer, unsafe housing, wage theft and the constant threat of losing their immigration status – workers organised, and they drove real change in 2025.
| Historic housing standards commitment Following 18 months of worker-led campaigning, the Scottish Government committed to introducing housing standards for seasonal agricultural workers for the first time ever – a step celebrated internationally as a model of worker-centred policy change. SEASONAL AGRICULTURE |
| Payslip practices under review Workers’ evidence on wage theft – including paying workers for quantity picked rather than hours worked – led the UK Director of Labour Market Enforcement to commit to reviewing payslip practices and strengthening compliance across the sector. SEASONAL AGRICULTURE |
| Care workers influence Parliament Care workers on the Health and Care Worker visa shared their experiences of racism, unpaid travel time and fear of dismissal with the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government, helping to shape a support package. SOCIAL CARE |
| Nationally recognised leadership WSC met Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney MSP to present video evidence of farm workers’ housing conditions. The issue reached the floor of the Scottish Parliament at First Ministers’ Questions, bringing workers’ voices into Scotland’s highest political chamber. POLICY INFLUENCE |
How We Work
Our Five-Step Early Exploitation Prevention Model
At the heart of everything WSC does is a unique model that combines immediate support with long-term systemic change alongside workers.
Worker Story: Seasonal Agriculture
When workers speak, policymakers listen
Kevin (a pseudonym) came forward to share his experience of wage theft – a serious problem facing many seasonal farm workers in Scotland, who are often paid for the quantity of produce picked rather than the hours they work.
With support from WSC and the University of Glasgow Open Justice Centre, he and other workers co-designed a practical tool: a calendar to record work time, know their rights and gather evidence. It was launched alongside 21 workers who shared their experiences of not being paid fair wages.
Their evidence reached the UK Director of Labour Market Enforcement – and prompted a commitment to review payslip compliance across the sector. That’s what worker-led change looks like in practice.
“Hours were being calculated in a way that served the farm, not the workers.”
Kevin – Scottish Left Review, Issue 145
A New Chapter: Social Care
Expanding our reach to the people who care for our loved ones
In 2025, WSC applied its Five-Step Model to Scotland’s social care sector for the first time, working alongside people on the Health and Care Worker visa.
Many of the workers we met faced job uncertainty and hardship when their employers and visa sponsors lost their licences. They described long hours, unpaid travel time, racism, fear of disciplinary action and the constant threat of losing their job and immigration status simultaneously.
Together, they influenced a targeted support package by sharing their experiences directly with the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government. Their courage to speak out is already shaping what support looks like for care workers across Scotland.
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