Union calls on government to take over sponsorship of migrant care staff

Care staff who come to the UK from overseas are having to share beds with other workers, sleep rough, and pay huge fees to work because of exploitation by rogue employers, a new report reveals.

@ National Cancer Institute/Unsplash

@ National Cancer Institute/Unsplash

TheCaring at aCost report from Unison shows some migrant care workershave paidmore than £20,000 tointermediaries in return for a job before they even arrive.

In return, theycanthen be housed in overcrowded,substandardaccommodationand subjected to appalling racist abuse in the workplace.

The report, based on a survey by Unison ofmore than 3,000people whohave cometo the UK on health and care worker visas, reveals 15% paid money to an employer and 9% to a recruiter or agency before coming here.

Dozens of care staff said they paid fees of above £10,000 in return for the promise of shifts inresidential care, in people's homes and other areas of adult social care.

Staff who paid fees to their employerbefore arriving in the UKgave recruitment (70%) as the top reason followed by visas, flights to the UK, administration/paperwork, training and accommodation.

Around18%of survey respondentssaid employers had deducted money from their salarysince they'd arrived in the UK. Fees for administration, uniforms, cars,loans, training, hotel rooms, and airportpick-upswere among the reasons given.A smaller proportion (4%) had paid to be released from their contract with a social care employer, despite this being illegal, the report shows.

Problems with pay affected 31% of migrant care staff. Thisincludednot getting paid for travel time betweenvisits or sick pay when ill and unable to attend work. Others were paid late, or employers deducted wages withoutanygood reason.

The report shows that 27% of respondents were paid below the legal minimum wage of £11.44 an hour, and 13%of respondentsreceived less pay than non-overseascarestaff. Three quarters of those affected said theydidn't have enough money, and more than half (57%)were unable topay their bills.

In addition, the report also highlights the unacceptable conditions in which migrant workerscanlive, 31% said their employer had provided them with accommodation,but9% said the housing was either poor orin avery poorstate.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of those living in care company accommodation shared a bedroom with other workers. One said 15 people were staying in a one-bedroomflat, and another was among nine sharing a three-bedroomproperty.

Racism experienced by care staff at work affected 46% of survey respondents. This included verbal insults and physical abuse.

The majority of the perpetrators were someone thestaff werelookingafter followed by othercareworkers, senior managers,employers, family members or friends. More than a third (36%) said they or amigrantworker colleague had been threatened with dismissal or redundancy for raising issues about their treatment at work.

Unison general secretary Christina McAneasaid: These shocking findings highlight widespread exploitation of migrant care workers. They underline the urgent need for reform with a national care service and fair pay agreement in social care.

‘Only when wages rise with the promised fair pay agreement will the care sector be in a better position to recruit and hold on to the growing number of workers needed to deliver quality care to an ageing population.

‘Care staff who come here from overseas are shoring up a crumbling sector. These workers should be treated with respect,not taken advantage of and abused. No one deserves to be treated in this despicable way.'

She added: ‘The government must overhaul the sponsorship system as a matter of urgency. This would help prevent exploitation and drive up standardsacross the care sector.'

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