News / employment
Tackling the seasonal labour shortage
In a bid to address the labour shortage in UK farms, the entrepreneur and environmental campaigner, Naseem Talukdar, set up a recruitment firm, Regency Recruitment.
Established back in 2020, the firm recruits seasonal workers from south east Asian countries severely affected by climate change such as Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
Talukdar is the founder of the charity Projects Against Plastic and was previously the Green Party general election for Bristol East before standing down.
Talukdar believes the initiative is mutually beneficial: “The farming industry in the UK benefits from employees with an agriculture-rich background, while the workers can earn a good wage to reinvest in their family and community.”
Brexit, combined with pandemic-related challenges, has led to labour shortages in the seasonal fruit picking industry. Many fruit suppliers struggle to find enough workers, resulting in produce being left to rot in the fields.
My latest campaign from @PAP_Charity to tackle climate heat in #Bangladesh ‘One Tree Per Student’ – please encourage every student to plant one tree. Today #CityModel School has distributed to all students to take home and plant it. To get involved please email info@pap.org.uk pic.twitter.com/CVjeEWQnfI
— Naseem Talukdar (@Naseem_talukdar) May 15, 2024
Regency’s recruits have already made a significant impact. Several Bangladeshi labourers have been named among the top-ten strawberry pickers at a local farm, leading to a tenfold increase in the intake of labourers from Bangladesh.
Talukdar, a second-generation Bangladeshi, whose parents were restaurateurs, said: “I am indebted to those who came before me and would like to help others pursue a better life where possible.”
The initiative comes at a time when climate displacement has become a growing concern. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, more than 30m people were displaced internally by weather-related disasters in 2022 alone.
Brexit, combined with pandemic-related challenges, has led to labour shortages in the seasonal fruit picking industry – photo: Regency Recruitment
According to experts, there is no denying the urgent need to address climate displacement.
Talukdar’s initiative is set to offer a practical solution that not only benefits the UK’s farming industry but also provides opportunities for those affected by climate change.
Asadur Rahman came to the UK to work under the scheme. The 40-year-old father of three young daughters is from Baniyachong in north-east Bangladesh, known as the largest village in Asia.
Rahman said: “I was losing money and trying to survive that year. We cannot rely on harvests in Bangladesh with the extreme weather, including floods and storms.
“The seasonal work in the UK helps me to overcome the loss and is a far better rate of pay than I receive back home.”
Regency’s mission is to “create an environment where every job seeker’s dreams are realised without fear of exploitation or extortion”, said Talukdar, who is also the director for social responsibility and sustainability for UK Curry Connect, a campaign group to raise awareness of skills shortages in the Asian catering industry.
Main photo: Naseem Talukdar
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