RCN demands end to exploitation of social care workers
Royal College of Nursing issues open letter to leaders of UK political parties demanding action to tackle the daily exploitation of migrants working in social care in the UK
Migrant care workers are paying thousands in agency fees for jobs that don’t exist. That’s the finding of a new Guardian investigation supported by the Royal College of Nursing. The investigation revealed agencies selling fake jobs, staff being locked into contracts and their passports being withheld if they don’t pay arbitrary charges. Employers also threatened to deport care workers if they refuse to hand over money.
Photo by Matthias Zomer
We depend on migrant care workers to deliver needed social care. According to Home Office data, more than 89,000 visas were granted to care workers and home carers in 2023, an increase of nearly 350% on the figure for 2022. But in 2023, 55% of all referrals to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority with indicators of forced labour came from the care sector.
The Royal College of Nursing now asks its members to sign an open letter calling for an immediate stop to the exploitation of care workers. It wants to see a full, sector-wide investigation carried out with urgency as soon as possible after the looming election.
According to the RCN, both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have indicated their support for some form of investigation – but the college urges members to keep up pressure for this to happen.
The open letter says: ‘The exploitation of migrant care workers is a national scandal and the next UK government must tackle it.
‘Faced with chronic understaffing, the social care sector has increased its recruitment of staff from overseas. A lack of regulation and enforcement has allowed rogue employers to profit from abuse of labour standards.
‘Nursing staff working in social care protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society. This exploitation can’t continue.’
The open letter then calls on all party leaders to commit to three things:
- Launch an urgent sector-wide investigation into exploitation in the social care sector
- Provide authorities with the funding needed to enforce employment standards for the safety of social care staff
- Uphold licensing standards to hold employers accountable for safe and legal recruitment practices.
You can sign the open letter at https://action.rcn.org.uk/page/149209/petition/
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