Farm workers in Scottish agriculture: case studies

Appendix 3: Migrant Workers Survey (English version)

This survey is being sponsored by the Scottish Government to provide information about the nature of seasonal labour used in Scottish agriculture that is sourced from outwith the UK. This will be used to inform the Government on the use of and need to support access to migrant labour after the UK exits from the EU.

Your answers are very important to us and Scottish agriculture. Everything you say will be confidential and only be used together with other responses. Your answers will only be used by the SRUC research team and will never be shown to your employer or the Government.

If you have any questions please email SeasonalWorkers@sruc.ac.uk

1. Please select your home country from the drop down menu:
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Other (please specify)

2. Select your gender:
Male, Female, Rather not say

3. What age are you? (slide to your age or inset number in box)
15 to 70 Y ears

4. Have you undertaken any formal English language training since beginning working in Scotland?
Yes, No

5. How would you describe the level of your English speaking ability?
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

6. What is your highest level of education?
School, Further Education (College Diploma, Certificate or job related qualification), University Degree, Postgraduate Degree

7. Do any of your family members currently live with you in Scotland?
Yes, No

8. How many years experience in agricultural work do you have (in Scotland or elsewhere)?
Less than 1 year, 1-2 Years, 3-5 Years, 6-10 Years, 11-15 Years, 15+ Years

9. In which of the following countries have you done agricultural work? (choose all that apply)
My home country, Rest of UK (not Scotland), Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Other non- EU countries

10. Within Scottish agriculture, what does your current employer do? (choose all that apply)
Farm business (directly employed by a single farmer business), Labour provider / agency (organised labour, moving from farm to farm), Food processor, Other (please specify)

11. Which sector of agriculture is your current job?
Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes, Dairy, Other (please specify)

12. In your current job which of the following activities do you carry out? (choose all that apply)
Planting, Caring for growing plants, General maintenance, Harvesting or picking, Processing or packaging farm products, Grading fruit, vegetables or potatoes, Milking, Livestock husbandry

13. To help us consider responses from different parts of Scotland please provide the name of the farm / business you currently work for and / or the name of the nearest town. (Note: if you do not want to provide this information please move to the next question)
Farm / Business name, Town

14. When did you start your agricultural work in the UK this season?
Before Sep 2016, Sep-16, Oct-16, Nov-16, Dec-16, Jan-17, Feb-17, Mar-17, Apr-17, May-17, Jun-17, Jul-17, Aug-17, Sep-17, Oct-17

15. For how many months in total do you expect to work on UK farms this season?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

16. How many different farm businesses have you, or do you expect to work for in the UK this season?
Only 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, More than 5

17. How many years / seasons in total have you come to Scotland for periods of agricultural work?
This is my first time, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, More than 10

18. For how many previous seasons / years have you worked for your current employer?
This is my first time, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, More than 10

19. Have you ever been employed in the UK outside of the agricultural sector?
Yes, No

20. Where were you when you found your first seasonal agricultural job in Scotland?
My home country, Scotland, Rest of UK, Other - Europe, Other - Rest of World

21. How did you find your current employment? (tick all that apply)
I worked for this business previously (returning employee), Suggested by an existing / former employee, Friend or family member, Through a different business I worked for previously, Recruitment company in my own country, Scottish / UK recruitment company, Advertisement / Social media / website, Other (please specify)

22. Did you have to pay a recruitment fee to get seasonal work in the UK this season?
Yes, No

23. What are the main reasons you came to work in Scotland? (Please rank in order of importance from 1-5, where 1 is the most important)
Higher rate of pay/income levels than in my home country, Better working conditions (hours worked, type of work etc.) than in my home country, Previous positive experience of working in Scotland, To join friends and/or family members working here, To learn English

24. What was the main activity you were doing during the 12 months before you started working in Scottish agriculture this season?
Studying, Working seasonally in agriculture, Working permanently in agriculture, Working in non-agricultural sector, Unemployed, Other (please specify)

25. Which country was this activity in?
My home country, Scotland, Rest of UK, Other - Europe, Other - Rest of World

26. How did you fund your travel to the UK / Scotland?(choose all that apply)
Savings, Credit card, Borrowed from family / friends, Bank loan, Private loan, Other (please specify)

27. In your current job, how many hours per week do you work in a typical week? (use the slider or insert a number)

28. Please indicate which of the following statements you most agree with:
I would prefer to work more hours than I currently work, I would prefer to work less hours than I currently work, I am happy with the number of hours I currently work

29. What type of accommodation do you currently stay in?
Housing on the farm / business I work for, Caravan on the farm / business I work for, Private rental housing, Other (please specify)

30. Were your arrangements for accommodation made before you came to Scotland?
Yes, No

31. Who made your accommodation arrangements?
Myself, Friends or family, My employer, Recruitment agency

32. How many months do you expect to stay in this accommodation during this season?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

33. What is the cost per week of your accommodation? (enter value in box in £)

34. How satisfied are you with this accommodation?
Very unsatisfied, Unsatisfied, Satisfied, Very Satisfied

35. Did you know some of your co-workers before you came to work in Scotland?
Yes, No

36. Do you think that there is a strong sense of community between (Strongly agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly disagree, Don't know):
Seasonal workers of same nationality, Seasonal workers from different countries, Seasonal workers and full-time farm workers, Seasonal workers and the local community

37. Approximately what proportion of your wages do you spend locally? (use slider or insert percentage % in box)

38. When you finish working for your current employer what are your employment plans for the rest of the year / season?
Seasonal agricultural work, Permanent agricultural work, Seasonal non-agricultural work, Permanent non-agricultural work, Studying, Unemployed

39. Which country will this this activity be in?
My home country, Scotland, Rest of UK, Other – Europe, Other - Rest of World

40. Which of the following best represents your view on whether you will return to Scotland for future seasonal agricultural work:
I will definitely return, I will probably return, I don’t know if I will return, I will probably not return, I will definitely not return

41. What factors may influence your decision not return to Scotland for seasonal agricultural work (choose all that apply):
Bad experience, Permanent job arranged, Wage Rate, Exchange rate, Ease of future access to UK, Cost of living, Flight costs, Potential visa costs, Other (please specify)

42. During your time working in seasonal agricultural work in Scotland how often have you experienced any of the following challenges:
Language barriers, Delay in receiving wages, Difficulty taking time off for holidays or illness, Insufficient free time, High workload / fatigue, Discrimination or verbal abuse, Costs of accommodation, Travelling distance to work or transport availability, Isolation and distance to urban centres, Missing my family or friends, Other (please specify)

43. What are the most beneficial/positive aspects during your time doing seasonal agricultural work in Scotland? (please rank where 1 is most important to you):
Ability to earn a good income, Being able to send money home to family / friends, Developing opportunities to acquire more permanent employment here, Making friends with my co-workers, Socialising and engaging with local / Scottish people, Experiencing Scotland as a country and Scottish culture, Ability to learn/improve my English

44. Please add any further comments you may have on any aspect of your seasonal farm work in Scotland not covered here:

Thank you very much for completing this questionnaire

We can assure you again that your answers will only be available to the research team and will be used to inform Government on future access for migrant labour to the UK agriculture .