Expendable labour: the exploitation of migrant care workers
Adult social care is facing a chronic staffing crisis, with employers increasingly recruiting care workers from overseas including from India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe. These employees make up 16% of the social care workforce in England, according to Skills for Care.
These workers come to the UK in the belief that they will have a secure job, with a reputable employer, who has officially sponsored them to be here. But UNISON has gathered evidence that many are being exploited.
They have money deducted from their wages to cover dubious fees, face demands to repay thousands of pounds when they try to move jobs, and are forced to pay extortionate rents for substandard accommodation.
They are treated as expendable labour, with some working 80 hours a week or more, or 19-hour shifts without a break and forced to be always available for work. They are faced with deportation when a company goes bust because there is no safety net to protect them. They are not given the necessary training, resulting in the care provided not always being of a high standard.
This report documents testimonials of migrant care workers, and calls for a series of urgent reforms.
UNISON is calling on the UK government and the Home Office to bring in measures to help safeguard against the appalling practices highlighted in this report.
A fully-funded minimum rate of pay above the national living wage for all care workers is key to bringing an end to these shocking abuses. Many employers think they can easily exploit migrant workers and this needs to change.
What is also needed is a national care service to boost wages, put quality above profitmaking and ensure everyone receives the support they need.