UK Care Worker Visa Row: UNISON believes the home secretary must withdraw inhumane plans to limit the rights of critical migrant workers.
Changing the rules about who can settle is inappropriate and would make the staffing issue in social care worse.
UNISON said that hundreds of care workers are putting more pressure on the home secretary by asking her to abandon plans that will punish migrants and make the staffing crisis in the sector worse.
The organization believes that the social care industry depends on hundreds of thousands of workers from other countries, but proposed visa changes will make it harder to hire new people and make many of them think about leaving.
UNISON wants the plans to be dropped so that millions of vulnerable individuals who need care won’t be left without important help and staff will be treated with respect.
Today, the issue is being brought to light in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham Ladywood seat through a lot of leafleting that asks people to talk directly to the home secretary about their worries. Care workers and other UNISON members will go door to door to hand out 20,000 fliers asking people to write to their MP.
Many health and care workers who have moved to the UK to fill important roles will also take part in a union-organized day of action tomorrow (Friday).
They are going to meet with MPs to get their support and will publish videos online to show what is going on with each of them.
According to the government’s original plans, migrant workers will need to have worked in the UK for 15 years to be able to stay there permanently (also known as “indefinite leave to remain”). The current time is five years, and a lot of workers took positions based on that.
UNISON thinks that moving the goalposts is bad, but it will also make the staffing situation in social care worse and make workers more open to being taken advantage of.
Almost 30% of the care workforce is made up of international labour, yet hiring migrant workers is down by more than 80%, according to the most recent numbers*.
UNISON warns that the government’s bigger goals to raise wages and standards in social care could be damaged if foreign workers are forced to live in a state of constant uncertainty.
The union wants the government to do more than just get rid of the 15-year qualifying term. They also want the government to make it easier for workers to switch jobs to cut down on exploitation through a sector-wide visa and speed up the new fair pay accord to raise wages.
Andrea Egan, the general secretary of UNISON, said, “Social care is already under a lot of stress, with tens of thousands of open jobs.” The sector has depended on foreign workers who are willing to do this important task, but the home secretary is shutting the door on them.
“Extending the qualification time could drive experienced, dedicated workers out of the field completely.
“If the government really wants to improve social care, it needs to treat workers fairly and pay them what they deserve. But the easiest way to start is to get rid of these cruel and pointless ideas.