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 unscrupulous employers, according to a report released by he union Unison on Tuesday, 11 February.
Some migrant care workers have paid more than £20,000 to intermediaries in return for a job before they even arrive, according to Caring at a Cost.
They can then be housed in overcrowded, substandard accommodation and subjected to appalling racist abuse in the workplace, according to the research.
The report is based on findings from a survey by Unison of more than 3,000 people who have come to the UK on health and care worker visas. It is the first major piece of work on migrant care staff conducted by the union.
More than one in seven (15%) paid money to an employer and one in eleven (9%) to a recruiter or agency before coming here. This is in return for filling jobs during a recruitment crisis in social care, says Unison.
The union is calling for the government to take over sponsorship of migrant care staff from employers.
Unison says the current system, where care companies sponsor migrant care staff who can then apply for a visa, allows unscrupulous bosses to abuse their power.
Staff who whistleblow are particularly vulnerable because employers often threaten them with deportation if they challenge poor practices or mistreatment in the workplace, warns the union.
Unison also says when care companies go bust the staff lose their jobs, but those from overseas have the added risk of being deported if they can’t secure a new sponsor within 60 days.
Dozens of care staff said they paid fees of above £10,000 in return for the promise of shifts in residential care, in people’s homes and other areas of adult social care.
In one case, a care worker paid £13,500 for a certificate of sponsorship to an agency that promised to secure them a care job in the UK. However, the worker says they have not had any work in a year.
Staff who paid fees to their employer before arriving in the UK gave recruitment (70%) as the top reason followed by visas, flights to the UK, administration/paperwork, training and accommodation.
Around 18% of survey respondents said employers had deducted money from their salary since they’d arrived in the UK. Fees for administration, uniforms, cars, loans, training, hotel rooms, and airport pick-ups were 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, says Unison.
Problems with pay affected three in ten (31%) migrant care staff. This included not getting paid for travel time between visits or sick pay when ill and unable to attend work. Others were paid late, or employers deducted wages without any good reason.
More than a quarter (27%) were paid below the legal minimum wage of £11.44 an hour, and 13% of respondents received less pay than non-overseas care staff.
Caring at a Cost outlines in shocking detail the impact of care firms not paying staff properly, says Unison. Three quarters (75%) of those affected said they didn’t have enough money, and more than half (57%) were unable to pay their bills.
Others had to borrow money to get to work, couldn’t pay their rent or had to miss meals. One care worker had to sleep rough because their employer did not pay them for shadowing other colleagues.
The report also highlights the unacceptable conditions in which migrant workers can live. Three in ten (31%) said their employer had provided them with accommodation, but nearly one in ten (9%) said the housing was either poor or in a very poor state.
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-bedroom flat, and another was among nine sharing a three-bedroom property.
Racism experienced by care staff at work affected more than four in ten (46%) of survey respondents. This included verbal insults and physical abuse.
The majority of the perpetrators were someone the staff were looking after, followed by other care workers, senior managers, employers, family members or friends.
More than a third (36%) said they or a migrant worker colleague had been threatened with dismissal or redundancy for raising issues about their treatment at work.
Unison says these finding highlight how unscrupulous employers use visa sponsorship to threaten care workers who challenge mistreatment and exploitation.
The union says poorly paid, mistreated and overworked staff are far less likely to be able to provide high quality care. They are also likely to stop working in the sector, increasing vacancy rates.
Social care has become reliant on overseas workers to fill vacancies, a situation driven by years of underfunding and a low pay culture in the sector, says Unison.
The union believes the best way to resolve the ongoing staffing crisis is to boost pay for all care workers through the government’s fair pay agreement, which is currently being developed in discussions between unions, employers and ministers.
This agreement is the first step towards creating the government’s promised national care service for England that would improve provision, raise standards and help relieve pressure on the NHS, says the union.
Commenting on the report, Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: ‘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.’
Caring at a Cost: A survey of migrant care staff working in the UK, says: ‘Vacancies in the UK are currently at 131,000, according to Skills for Care.
‘Care workers come to the UK through a legitimate route – the Health and Social Care Visa. Employers apply to the Home Office for a licence to sponsor foreign workers.
‘However, this situation where migrant staff rely on a single employer has led to a culture of job insecurity and unsafe working conditions, especially for those recruited by unscrupulous care companies.’
‘The findings published here include cases of staff sharing beds with other workers and being housed in overcrowded, expensive accommodation that was mouldy, poorly heated, dirty and on occasion rat-infested.
‘Dozens have had to pay employers and agents fees of £20,000 or more before they came to the UK only to discover there were no care shifts when they arrived or not the number promised. . .
‘A common theme was employers not paying staff properly, including for care shifts at hourly rates that were less than the minimum wage. As a result, staff said they ended up in financial hardship unable to pay bills and rent, and they missed meals.
‘Those who complained about working conditions or pay were threatened with the sack or reported to the Home Office.
‘Also harrowing were accounts of racist abuse carried out by the people they look after, their families, managers or other care staff. As one worker said: “They treat (us) like modern-day slaves.”
Survey findings
‘All staff were working in social care in the UK on a Health and Care Worker Visa. They provide care in people’s own homes (41%), in care homes (29%), supported living services (20%), and in other areas (10%) including hospitals, day centres and as live-in carers.’
Fees
‘More than 100 had paid between £5,000 and £20,000 in fees, and 50 over £10,000. Many said they had fallen into debt as a result of paying fees, with some still in the red as a result.
‘One care worker – a single mother – sold all her belongings and borrowed from relatives to pay £5,000 in return for the promise of a job. However, there were no shifts when she arrived in the UK and she still has no work. . .
‘Some respondents said they were charged fees the Home Office explicitly forbids from being passed on to employees. This included for the certificate of sponsorship – sums paid by workers ranged from £10,000 to £20,000.
‘After arriving in the UK, one in twenty five (4%) had to pay to be released from their care contract. In one case, an employer demanded money if the worker broke the contract or left before 18 months.’
Pay
Care work is a skilled job but pay rates are among the lowest in the economy. Indeed, the vast majority (80%) of all jobs in England pay more than the average hourly rate for care staff, according to Skills for Care.
‘The government has promised a fair pay agreement in adult social care, which could lead to a higher minimum wage and enhanced pay scales across the sector.
‘However, this agreement is not yet a reality and three in ten (31%) migrant care staff who took part in Unison’s survey said they had experienced problems with wages …
‘Anecdotes shared by migrant care staff included using food banks, getting into debt and being blacklisted by credit agencies. One care worker slept rough because their employer didn’t pay for shifts for shadowing other staff.’
Accommodation
‘More than three in ten (31%) care staff were provided with accommodation by their employer but 9% described this as poor or very poor. Common complaints included mould, damp, heating that either didn’t work or that landlords refused to switch on, and dirty conditions, such as stained beds. . .
Caring at a Cost also provides evidence that some landlords take advantage of care staff by restricting access to utilities such as gas and electricity, and demanding money for hot water. One landlady didn’t connect the cooker and wanted £10 a week for hot water for daily baths.’
Threats of dismissal
Workers fear – and face – retaliation if they report concerns or challenge their employer over pay and working conditions.
More than a third (36%) said they or their fellow migrant worker colleagues had been threatened with dismissal or redundancy for raising issues about their treatment. If care workers from overseas lose their job or certificate of sponsorship, they face potential deportation.
Sponsorship
Deportation can be a grim reality for many workers when the company they work for goes bust – or if they lose their job.
Under the current law, care companies licensed to hire staff from overseas must assign a certificate of sponsorship to every migrant worker they employ. Each certificate has a unique number which the worker uses to apply for a visa.
Any care worker who wants to change to a new care organisation must do so within 60 days or face deportation.