The UK government promised that the Employment Rights Act would bring about the biggest upgrade to workers rights in a generation, using the new Fair Work Agency to regulate the labour market.

And yet the UK labour market remains reliant on restrictive work visas. These visas limit the options that workers have to bring complaints against their employer, on whom they also depend for their immigration status.

How can workers rights be upgraded when restrictive visas block rights for so many migrant workers? Is this upgrading, or creating a multi-tiered workforce?

In July 2024, Australia started piloting a bridging visa that allows people on temporary visas, who have experienced exploitation at work, to stay in the country for up to 12 months in order to work and seek redress for their exploitation.

As this pilot in Australia nears 2 years, important lessons are already obvious. The UK should implement its own Workplace Justice Visa, to effectively tackle labour exploitation and meaningfully improve the employment rights landscape.

“Fair For All Workers”, a new briefing by the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), reflects on the implementation of the Workplace Justice Visa in Australia, and on learning for the UK.

Read the briefing: