Migrant workers

What is happening

Migrant workers face all the risks and vulnerabilities as other workers, but experience greater vulnerability at work due to UK immigration rules. 

Workers on visa sponsorship are left exposed by the UK employment rights framework and targeted by hostile immigration rules. They are uniquely vulnerable to unscrupulous employers.  

In the social care sector this has been compounded by weak enforcement, a tolerance for rule breaking by some employers and punitive visa rules. Because care visas are linked to individual employers, the system places private care companies in a position of incredible power. With little or no checks or regulation, they are free to bully and intimidate migrant workers.

Government proposals

Recent proposals by the government to treble the waiting time for settlement for low paid overseas workers from five to fifteen years would worsen visa exploitation and leave overseas workers and their families in limbo. 

Overseas workers will inevitably experience worsening exploitation, as the extended qualifying period traps workers with unscrupulous employers.  

Hostile rhetoric around immigration has also led to rising levels of racial harassment for our members at work and beyond.  Behind the debate about immigration are human lives. 

The UNISON migrant worker network

We are an informal network of UNISON members with a first-generation immigrant background including overseas and migrant workers, EU settled status workers and workers who have subsequently naturalised as British citizens or who have indefinite leave to remain.

The goals of the network include:

• supporting members to uphold existing rights;  
• encouraging union participation, activism and leadership;
• sharing and organising key lessons and best practice;  
• building solidarity across the union;
• campaigning for fairer visa rules.

Joining the network will help UNISON to target advice, support and information more effectively for all our migrant worker members. UNISON will not share your information with any other organisation.