Everyone who works in the UK should be able to afford a safe place to live and still have enough to get by. At the Worker Support Centre (WSC), we’ve been campaigning tirelessly alongside seasonal farm workers to improve housing standards and ensure fair treatment for the people who keep Scotland’s agricultural sector running.
We’re proud to share a welcome development in our ongoing fight for workers’ rights. On 13 March, the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board confirmed that the accommodation offset charge will be frozen at £10.66 per day. This is the maximum amount farms can deduct from a worker’s wages for housing that is linked directly to their job.
At a time when the equivalent rate in England and Wales is rising to £11.10, this decision represents a small but meaningful decision to protect workers’ already stretched incomes here in Scotland.
What is the accommodation offset – and why does it matter?
It sets the legal limit for how much employers can charge workers for housing provided as part of their job. For seasonal farm workers, accommodation is tied to their employment and visa conditions. This means:
- Workers often have little or no choice over where they live.
- Housing costs are deducted directly from their wages.
- The quality and affordability of that housing can vary significantly.
Even marginal increases in the offset has an immediate impact on the take-home pay of workers who are already living on extremely tight budgets.
The bigger picture: Low pay, high deductions, bad housing
A worker paying £10.66 per day for accommodation is still paying around £320 per month for housing before covering any other essential costs, such as:
- Food and daily living expenses
- Transport
- Communication with family abroad
- Financial responsibilities in their home country
At the same time, many workers report that their accommodation on farms is overcrowded, damp, even dangerous.
A win driven by workers
This decision reflects seasonal farm workers’ sustained campaigning, courage and commitment to push for change. At WSC, we have worked alongside them to:
- document experiences of poor and unaffordable housing
- advocate for fairer standards and stronger protections
- ensure workers’ voices are heard by decision-makers
Freezing the accommodation offset is a direct result of that collective effort. It demonstrates that change is possible when workers are supported to speak out and shape the systems that affect them.
Our campaign has consistently highlighted the need for decent, safe, and affordable accommodation for seasonal agricultural workers, securing a commitment from the Scottish Government to introduce housing standards for the first time in 2025. While freezing the offset is not the end of the fight, it is an important win.
Every step forward matters, and this decision shows that with persistent campaigning, change is possible. We will continue to push for housing standards that protect seasonal farm workers in the same way as everyone else in Scotland.
By building collective power, we can move closer to a country that cares for every worker – no matter their job, contract type or nationality.
Image by Preeti Singh for The Greats.