What we fund - Refugee Workers Cultural Association

The challenge

Research from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, which we funded in 2022, highlighted the level of exploitation facing Turkish and Kurdish migrant communities in London. It found that many are working long hours for a low wage, sometimes as little as £3 an hour, and facing commonplace workplace abuse.

A severe lack of knowledge of basic worker rights, and often limited English, means many members of the community are vulnerable to exploitation and unable to look for work elsewhere. Employers use this to their advantage, setting the floor and ceiling for wages, and often making employees work much longer hours without an increase in pay.

The project

We’re funding the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a user-led organisation supporting Turkish and Kurdish-speaking refugees and asylum seekers, to run worker-led campaigns that tackle low pay and poor working conditions.

The project will:

• Support workers in low-paid sectors like hospitality, retail and the gig economy to join unions such as United Voices of the World
• Campaign for employers to adopt the London Living Wage and Living Hours standards
• Advocate for stronger legal protections for workers, and push back against the erosion of existing rights
• Engage with investors in new businesses to promote fair pay and conditions from the outset
• Conduct research into the impact of low pay and exploitative commission models, using the findings to drive innovative, community-led solutions