Researchers at Leeds University Business School (LUBS) are delighted to announce a new project launched in collaboration with Migrant Action, intended to improve the support available for migrant workers in warehousing jobs in West and South Yorkshire.

The team at LUBS (Dr Abbie Winton, Professor Charles Umney and Dr Gabriella Alberti) have been conducting research looking at warehousing across the region, with a particular interest in how new technologies, and labour shortages post-Brexit, are shaping work in the sector. This is part of the international Humans in Digital Logistics (HuLog) project, coordinated by Professor Patrizia Zanoni at Hasselt in Belgium, also including teams at Kozminski University (Poland) and the Hertie School (Germany). This ongoing research indicates that migrants remain a vital source of labour for warehousing employers, but face multiple forms of disadvantage – they often work in conditions with weaker labour protections and have limited access to support.

Migrant charities and other local organisations play a vital role in filling urgent gaps in warehouse work ecosystems: they represent migrants in work-related disputes, acquaint migrants with key rights at work and lobby policymakers to secure better protections in the industry. However, there is a clear need for greater collaboration between these organisations and regional policymakers. The local migration partnership multi-agency drop-ins co- established by Migrant Action and its local partners in Barnsley and Doncaster such as Education and Learning Support Hub and the Polish Library in Barnsley is a fantastic example and model of how organisations can come together to provide holistic support towards integration and accessing justice including work justice for those most vulnerable in our communities. Yet more needs to be done across the region.

The HuLog team is grateful to have received funding from the Leeds University Business School to push forward with this work and have hired a Community Engagement and Impact Associate to lead on the work, Kidist Teklemariam.

“I am honoured to play a key role in this vital initiative, which directly confronts the issues encountered by migrant workers in the warehousing sector. My responsibilities will revolve around forging robust connections between migrants, local organisations, and policymakers to ensure these workers’ voices are heard and heeded. By actively engaging with the community and empathising with their experiences, we can pinpoint pragmatic solutions and passionately advocate for improved working conditions, equitable treatment, and enhanced access to support services. I eagerly anticipate collaborating with all stakeholders to spearhead impactful change and enhance the well-being of migrant workers in our region.”

– Kidist Teklemariam

This new partnership will give a platform to migrants working in the warehousing industry, centralising their voices in order to push for positive change in the sector. Ultimately our work aims to strengthen the local infrastructure and resourcing available to support migrants working in one of the region’s most important and rapidly growing industrial sectors.

For Migrant Action, this research partnership would strengthen Migrant Action’s research and wider collaborative infrastructure for advocacy and migrant economic justice.  – Fidelis Chebe, CEO Migrant Action

If you, or your organisation, would like more information or would like to be involved with this work, please contact our project leads – Kidist Teklemariam (Community Engagement and Impact Support Associate), Abbie Winton (Research Fellow) or Fidelis Chebe (Migrant Action CEO)