Agency Workers from the A8 Accession Countries

The A8 European Union expansion of 2004 saw over a million people register on the Worker Registration Scheme to take employment in the United Kingdom.  Despite on average being better qualified than the native UK population, these workers are more likely to be found in lower skilled work, such as manufacturing and distribution, and to take these roles through an employment agency rather than on a directly-employed basis.  Through in-depth qualitative analysis of five case study companies, each based in the food manufacturing sector, this paper investigates the realities of vulnerable work for these migrants in the UK. The key contribution of this paper is to analyse the relationships between migrant workers and the British workers they work alongside in the context of the EU expansion.  It shows how low levels of English language skills lead migrant workers into low skilled roles, particularly through an employment agency, and thus they can be considered to be vulnerable workers.  Often experiencing hostility from British workers, this situation is found to be exacerbated by the case study companies, who actually accentuated differences between workers.  This paper examines why, in the context of legislation, both from the UK and EU level, organisations act in this manner, and analyses the effects this has on workplace relations.  The paper concludes by examining the roles of trade unions as a potential vehicle for reducing workplace differences and increasing workplace cohesion.