Overseas care workers who were invited to the UK to address staffing shortages in the health and social care sectors are reportedly being exploited on a large scale, with some receiving wages as low as £5 per hour, according to a report by The Guardian. The UK issued visas to approximately 78,000 individuals to work in social care between June 2022 and June 2023, with a majority coming from countries such as Nigeria, India, and Zimbabwe. These workers have allegedly been subjected to unexpected fees reaching thousands of pounds.
Following the inclusion of care workers in the shortage occupation list by the Home Office, 14% of care workers in England now hail from non-EU countries (excluding the UK), while another 7% are from the EU. The Guardian highlighted specific cases of exploitation, including an employer demanding £4,000 for training costs when a migrant care worker attempted to switch to a job in the NHS. Another worker was reportedly burdened with hidden administration fees, including £395 for a cultural induction.
A care worker from Botswana, who sought assistance from the trade union Unison, revealed that she worked in domiciliary care from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. six days a week and was paid less than half of the legal minimum wage. After her employer lost a council care contract, she was made redundant and now fears deportation. As per regulations, if a worker is laid off or their employer shuts down, they are required to secure new employment within 60 days to avoid deportation, granting employers additional control over the workers.
Annie, another care worker from Botswana, reported being paid for just six hours of work despite working 15-hour days, which included time spent waiting for appointments and traveling between clients. Her employer also held back a significant portion of her wages over three consecutive months, only reimbursing her later. Additionally, Annie was compelled to share a room with a stranger.
Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison, emphasized the indispensable role played by migrant care staff and urged against demonizing them, stating that such actions would not resolve the social care crisis. McAnea called for an overhaul of immigration rules rather than stricter enforcement. In response, a spokesperson from the government assured that abuse in the labor market is not tolerated and action is taken, including license revocation, against sponsors found to engage in exploitative practices.
The instances of exploitation come on the heels of reports that the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, is considering options to limit immigration, such as banning care workers from bringing dependents or restricting them to a single relative. The UK’s net migration figure peaked at 745,000 in the year up to December 2022, three times higher than the pre-Brexit level, according to revised estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In conclusion, migrant care workers in the UK are allegedly facing widespread exploitation, with low wages and unexpected fees. The government is being called upon to reform immigration rules and protect the rights of these workers who are crucial to the functioning of the care system.
