Paul Laverty on the plight of immigrant workers in the UK

Paul Laverty wrote the screenplay for Ken Loach's latest film, 'It's a Free World', about immigrant workers in the U.K. He reflects on the stories of those he interviewed to write the script. "Maybe the family of the man who died from exhaustion after continuous double shifts stamping logos on cardboard boxes in a northern warehouse, or the workers picking flowers who ended up owing more money than they earned once 'deductions' for accommodation, food and travel had been calculated, will be unimpressed by the unbearable lightness of our story. ... Listening to all these experiences, it was as if all the Factory Acts and health and safety regulations had suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, along with 150 years of trade union gains. None of this protection existed in the minds of these workers... All these workers massively subsidise our standard of living, so let's not interfere unduly."

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