At the Worker Support Centre, we believe everyone should be safe, valued and respected at work. And we know the best way to achieve that is by putting worker power at the centre of everything we do.
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re proud to share some of the moments where workers led the way, shaped change and built the foundations for a fairer Scotland.
A year of growth: New work, new team, new home!
This year we launched our Worker Power project in the care sector, in solidarity with workers who have come to Scotland to look after our loved ones. We also unveiled our new website and visual identity, and opened our new office in Perth, in the heart of Scotland!
We also welcomed five new team members: Dmytro, Talgat, Francis, Eglė and Graham. Together, they’re building relationships with workers and communities, and turning workers’ experiences into meaningful policy change.
Building collective strength across Scotland
During 2025 we held 11 events with agricultural workers from nine separate farms, to chat, plan and strategise together.
We also expanded into the care sector, hosting nine events with social care workers from across Scotland to navigate the challenges of tied visas and suddenly losing their income when employers’ licences are revoked.
Big thanks to everyone who shared their insights, solutions and determination throughout - these are the building blocks of Worker Power!
Worker power in action
When Kevin (chosen pseudonym) shared his experience of wage theft, he pin-pointed a serious problem that many other seasonal workers face:
“Hours were being calculated in a way that served the farm, not the workers.”
With input from Kevin and many others, we developed Know Your Rights and Evidence Your Work - a new calendar designed to record work time on farms. We launched it alongside 21 workers at a workshop supported by labour rights academics from the University of Glasgow.
Worker’s testimonies also led to important policy advances, including a pledge from the UK Director of Labour Market Enforcement to review payslips and seek to strengthen compliance.
Shaping change with Scotland's care workers
In 2025 we began supporting people who come to Scotland to care for our loved ones. Many care workers faced losing their job suddenly as the UK government revoked their employers’ sponsorship licences, leaving them without an income, stability or a way to stay in the UK.
Together, we got organised. We secured a joint-meeting with two Scottish Parliamentary committees, leading Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) to call for action from the Scottish Government.
In December the Scottish Government announced a new support package. Alongside workers we have met their MSPs, and Members of the UK Parliament to seek fair, accessible and worker-centred support for displaced care workers.
Workers lead a major win on decent housing
After years of living in unsafe, cold caravans, with rents eating up to 20% of their minimum wages, farm workers pushed through historic changes to housing standards in Scotland.
In late 2025, following 18 months of worker-led campaigning, and based on our research Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan MSP confirmed that the Scottish Government will introduce housing standards for seasonal agricultural workers for the first time ever.
This will close a long-standing legal gap and mean the workers who put fruit and vegetables on our tables can finally live in dignity. Into 2026 we will work to make sure these are strong and enforced.
We’re grateful to everyone who campaigned tirelessly and spoke out with courage - including the workers who attended the meeting pictured with Richard Leonard MSP and Brian Leishman MP to discuss the issues faced.
Turning farm worker’s stories into art
This summer, farm workers collaborated with artist José García Oliva to create artworks using tools and materials from their jobs, and reflecting on what it means to live and work in rural Scotland.
Their art will feature in an exhibition at Timespan, Helmsdale in May 2026, sharing the experiences of people who keep our farms running with the wider community.
Lets build Worker Power together in 2026!
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Together, we’ll build a Scotland that truly welcomes every worker.
Thank you for being part of our movement!
With best wishes for the holiday season and the coming year,
Caroline, Valeria, Margarita, Iryna, Dmytro, Talgat, Francis, Graham, Eglė and Lynda.
Worker Support Centre