Migrant workers in the United Kingdom are subjected to forced labour, regardless of their immigration status, a new report from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has found.

Forced Labour and Migration in the UK, published in February, reveals a catalogue of abuse that many migrant workers face, such as being forced to work very long hours, pay below the minimum wage and dangerous working conditions in a range of sectors including agriculture, construction, hospitality, food processing, contract cleaning, nursing and care homes.

The cases show examples of workers threatened with deportation if they complained, retention of their passports by employers preventing them from changing jobs, bonded labour where employers held workers over a debt, and intimidation and use of violence towards workers with little English and limited knowledge of their rights.

The report urges that the same rights apply to migrant workers as other workers in the UK and that the Government cracks down on employers who break employment law. It is vital that all workers have the right to organise and that all migrants are protected from abuse regardless of their status.