Exploitation complaints from foreign carers in the UK rise six-fold | Carers

The number of foreign social workers reporting being trapped in exploitative contracts has risen six-fold in the past three years, the latest evidence of widespread abuse of migrants within the UK welfare system.

According to data from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the organisation was contacted 134 times in 2023-24, with care workers reporting that their employers were demanding large sums of money if they quit their jobs to cover the costs of their employment, including visa processing. This figure is up from 22 complaints received just three years ago.

Complaints about reimbursement provisions have sometimes reached 10,000, showing how the recent explosion in overseas care recruitment has allowed dishonest employers to target vulnerable workers.

Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary, said: It appears that fraudulent employers are forcing migrants to pay thousands of pounds to quit their jobs and threatening deportation. People who come to the UK to care for vulnerable people deserve much better than this exploitation.

Unfortunately, we know that the surge in exploitation reported to the RCN is only the tip of the iceberg: migrant workers are routinely threatened, fear having their passports confiscated, and are even less likely to join trade unions.

The combination of the pandemic and Brexit immigration controls has created a massive staffing crisis in the UK’s social care sector, which ministers in the previous government have tackled by making it much easier to hire care workers from overseas. According to data from Skills for Care, the number of international staff recruited into adult social care increased from 10,000 to 94,000 between 2020-21 and 2023-24.

But the new system, which allows caregivers to be hired quickly as long as they meet certain salary standards, has led to widespread criticism of unfair treatment.

The Guardian reported earlier this year that dozens of migrant workers employed by 11 different UK agencies had sued their employers for exploitation. All of the workers had paid up to $20,000 in visa processing fees to Indian intermediaries in hopes of securing guaranteed jobs in the UK, but none of them materialised.

After these facts came to light, then-Opposition Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promised to launch an inquiry into the matter if Labor won the election.

Some workers are seeking redress through the legal system. An employment judge in the UK recently ruled that one worker who was not paid his contractual hours was entitled to more than $10,000 in compensation.

The RCN has been following cases of workers who have tried to quit their jobs only to be told by their employers that they have to repay thousands of pounds in repayments, which employers call the cost of employment. The organisation has seen a rise in cases like this over the past few years, with 17 calls from members in May alone.

In one case, a worker reported being subjected to severe harassment and bullying. When they tried to quit their job, they were told they would have to pay $10,000, even though no such amount was specified in their contract.

Another carer told the RCN she was subjected to physical and racial abuse at work, which led her to quit her job and then owe more than $3,000 in visa fees.

A third person was terminated immediately after reporting to his employer that he had tested positive for COVID-19, and was left with a large repayment fee despite having no job or income.

Lawyers say some practices in the UK care industry are indicative of human trafficking and modern slavery, adding that punitive repayment clauses are common.

The Anti-Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Agency reported that in 2023, it received 123 reports of modern slavery and human trafficking in the protection sector, accounting for more than half of all forced labour reports.

The RCN is now calling for a government investigation into labour practices in the area.

The Ranger said: “The widespread exploitation is absolutely inhumane and undermines the entire social care sector. Ministers were right to promise an inquiry during the election campaign and it must happen now, urgently. Lives are being destroyed every day and we cannot wait. Action is needed to protect migrant care workers and raise standards across the sector.

A government spokesperson said: There has been an unacceptable rise in abuse and exploitation of care workers in the adult social care sector.

Sponsorship systems that demand the highest standards from suppliers highlight these unethical practices, and urgent work is underway across the sector to address them.

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