From Brazil to America: Why Brazilians are Making the Move

The A2 Nationals

 SAWS has been a major contributor to the seasonal labor force since the 1950s, but it was closed as planned on January 1, 2014, when the transitional controls on Romania and Bulgaria were lifted. Seasonal farm workers from A2 countries (Bulgaria and Romania) were hired by SAWS operators. Following the EU enlargements in 2007, Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU on January 1st. They are known as A2 countries. The UK imposed transitional restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian workers over a seven-year period. Portes and Bach (1985) have thoroughly demonstrated how ethnic connections can influence which resources can be mobilized to achieve economic success for ethnic minorities working in their own communities, jobs, or industries. 

Ethnic social capital generated by ethnic vibes among ethnic squads within a more tight ethnic circle can produce ethnic unity, allowing homies to achieve economic flex (Fong and Hou, 2010: 3).However, when you convert and share your cultural capital with your friends, it has a significant impact on your job prospects. Anyway, living in a new place presents unique challenges and problems when it comes to demonstrating and gaining respect for your social and cultural clout. OMG, there's definitely some major drama, conflicts, and face-offs happening as a result of migration, and it's seriously disrupting the overall cultural vibe, you know? There are so many negative aspects, you know?  For example, there's inequality and race discrimination at work and in social life, racism, xenophobia, employers and landlords exploiting people, and a devaluation or lack of Recognition of cultural clout, religious flex, language vibes, job hustle, and cultural defense in tribunals and criminal law, among other things. There are at least two claims raised in these conflicts: the first is against migrant discrimination, and the second is for cultural equality between the majority and minority groups. The research for this thesis was all about determining whether the claims made about migrant farm workers in Scotland are true. It also considered the larger picture of their social and cultural changes, which had a significant impact on those two claims.

Migrant farm workers in Scotland

OMG, like UK agri and horti businesses and packhouses, has been completely hiring migrant farm workers for the past decade (Frances et al., 2005) through SAWS, which is a very reliable way to get seasonal labor. In my study, three migrant farm workers from A2 countries (Bulgaria and Romania) found employment through SAWS. So lit! Yo, in this study, I'm really focused on migrant farm workers in Scotland. We don't know much about how the large migration to rural Scotland, particularly remote areas and small towns such as the Highlands of Scotland, has impacted these workers' cultural capital, you know? (Rye 2014; de Lima et al. 2005). Having more information on rural Scotland's labor market, which is all about low-wage ag jobs with little room for advancement (de Lima, 2008), could give us a better idea of how farm migrants are treated or face obstacles when it comes to displaying their cultural capital. I'm completely focused on them, to see how equality of cultural capital creates a whole new vibe when cultural capital claims are all about protection and recognition, you know?The A8 nationals come from the A8 countries, which are eight of the ten countries that joined the EU during its enlargements in 2004. They are citizens of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. They are eligible for any job in the United Kingdom. They were required to register with the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) within a month of starting work until April 30, 2011. A8 nationals have had full access to the UK labour market since May 1, 2011. They now have the same rights as other EU citizens residing in the UK.

Migrant farmworkers/migrant seasonal workers (SAWS workers)

OMG, there is almost no solid research on migrant farm workers in rural West European communities (Smith and Favell, 2006; Rye and Andrzejewska, 2010). It's a complete bummer! Rye pointed out that there haven't been many studies on Eastern European migrant farm workers in rural communities in the West. (Rye, 2014: 328). But, just to be clear, I'm only referring to migrant farm workers in Scotland who do unskilled work. And these findings are only applicable to them, not all immigrant workers, you know? In this study, I did not use the definition of a migrant worker. This isn't because 'there's no cap definition of a migrant worker' (Working Lives Research Institute, 2007: 3). OMG, the definition of migrant worker is so outdated. It's like completely missing the point, you know? It does not even include farm workers who produce fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads. They're out in the fields, working hard! Like, I completely see migrant farm workers as these foreign-born people in the UK who work for these companies and packhouses during the seasons and such. They're also known as seasonal farm/agricultural workers, fam. Farm workers have always been known to be disorganized, especially in Scotland, where gypsy travelers have helped with the fruit harvest, ya know? However, the majority of seasonal farm workers in agriculture are migrants from Eastern European countries, ya know? They are known as SAWS (Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme) workers, and they have long been a major source of seasonal farm labor in the United Kingdom and Scotland. The remaining seasonal farm/agricultural workers are A8 nationals hired through a variety of migrant recruitment channels (either directly by farms or labor providers), UK residents, and gang labor.