CAMPAIGNERS demanded reform today after a damning report laid bare shocking conditions facing migrant workers propping up Britain’s crumbling care system.

Unison surveyed more than 3,000 people who came to Britain on health and care worker visas to tackle shortages in the sector.

It found that nearly a quarter had paid fees to an employer or an intermediary upfront in return for a job — with dozens handing over more than £20,000.

Many workers, who are from countries including Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Zambia as well as India and the Philippines, were given no shifts when they arrived, or not the number promised.

Around 18 per cent said employers had deducted money from their salaries since arriving, with firms claiming the fees were for expenses such as training and administration.

Pay issues impacted three in 10 migrant care staff, with problems including unpaid travel time between care visits and no sick pay. 

More than a quarter were paid below the legal minimum wage of £11.44 an hour.

In one shocking testimony, a worker reported having to sleep on the streets because their employer did not pay them for shadowing other colleagues. 

And 9 per cent described the accommodation they were provided with as poor or very poor. 

Nearly a quarter of those living in company accommodation shared a bedroom with other workers. One worker reported 15 people staying in a one-bedroom flat.

Forty-six per cent of respondents experienced racism, including verbal insults and physical abuse, at work.

Over a third said they or a migrant worker colleague had been threatened with dismissal or redundancy for raising issues about their treatment.

Unison reported employers threatening workers who speak out with deportation. If a firm goes bust or workers leave, this can follow if they aren’t able to secure a new sponsor within 60 days.

The union is calling on the government to take over the sponsorship of migrant care staff from employers, and for pay to be boosted for all to the resolve the ongoing staffing crisis. 

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “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. 

“Some workers are effectively being employed as indentured labour. This is not only immoral but also illegal. 

“The government must overhaul the sponsorship system as a matter of urgency.”

The calls were echoed by Stand Up to Racism. Co-convener Sabby Dhalu,said: “We cannot allow hard-working migrants who contribute to our economy and society to be exploited.”

Fizza Qureshi, CEO of the Migrants’ Rights Network which has worked extensively with sponsored workers, said that the organisation has “heard stories of workers facing destitution, and being charged extortionate and illegal fees, which leaves them trapped in endless cycles of debt. 

“We heard stories of workers being promised jobs that do not exist, being threatened with deportation, or facing certificate of sponsorship cancellations.”

“These sponsorship schemes are designed solely on the basis of productivity and business and economic interests, rather than the wellbeing and protection of migrant workers in mind. 

“Calls for change should aim to dismantle the existing sponsorship model, by demanding greater freedom for sponsored workers to move jobs, and by creating safe reporting mechanisms.”

Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit solicitor Jamila Duncan-Bosu commented: “If the government genuinely wishes to tackle this exploitation, then at a bare minimum they should stop outsourcing the issuing of sponsorship certificates to commercial companies.”

A government spokesperson said that it has “set out first steps to ban rogue employers from sponsoring overseas workers, and will deliver legislation for the Fair Work Agency to ensure strong and fair employment rights for all. 

“Businesses found guilty of breaching employment law will have their sponsorship licenses refused or revoked, and care workers affected by this will be supported to find alternative employment.”

Anti-slavery charity Unseen director Justine Carter said the scheme has become a “gateway to abuse.”

Data from the anti-slavery charity’s helpline assessment revealed a 30 per cent increase in potential victims in the care sector in 2023.

“We need a complete overhaul of the health and social care visa system to ensure that workers are not burdened with exorbitant recruitment fees, and have clear information on their rights and entitlements from the outset, allowing them to carry out their vital roles with dignity and respect."

Public Services International care organiser Huma Haq said the findings reflect a broader global crisis in care: “The exploitation of migrant care workers in the UK is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a broken system globally where governments have increasingly privatised and underfunded essential care services. 

“Governments must step up and take responsibility for providing quality public care services.”