Modern migrant slavery in UK social care

A survey by trade union UNISON found that many foreign workers in the UK’s social care sector paid thousands of pounds in fake fees to get jobs, live in overcrowded housing and earn less than the minimum wage.

The survey of 3,000 people who entered the UK on a health and care worker visa found that around a quarter had paid a social care provider or recruitment agency in return for the promise of a job.

Some had paid more than £20,000 for a job; in one case, a migrant woman sold all her belongings and borrowed £5,000 from family members, but was unable to find work when she arrived in the UK.

Nearly a third of all care workers in the UK are migrants, many from countries such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, India and the Philippines, to fill thousands of vacancies after the UK leaves the European Union and to meet the healthcare needs of the country’s ageing population.

Charities and unions say the UK’s post-Brexit system, which allows companies to sponsor workers to obtain visas, gives employers the power to use the threat of dismissal to harass foreign workers and migrants.

The Labour Exploitation and Abuse Research Agency has said that cases of modern slavery, debt bondage and financial exploitation in the UK social care sector are on the rise.

Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, said: “These shocking findings highlight the widespread exploitation of migrant workers in the UK social care sector, with some workers effectively exploited and the system must change.

UNISON says that around a quarter of people surveyed who lived in social care company accommodation shared a bedroom with other staff, including one case where 15 people were staying in a one-bedroom flat.