Ministers are dragging their heels on an investigation into the mistreatment of migrant carers, the country’s largest nursing union has said, as it continues to receive complaints about low pay, substandard accommodation and illegal fees.
Nicola Ranger, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, has written to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to urge her to speed up her promised investigation into the abuse of foreign care workers.
Despite the government’s promises to clamp down on abusive practices by rogue employers and agencies, the RCN says it continues to receive more than 100 calls a year from nurses who say they are being mistreated.
Ranger said in her letter: “The RCN is deeply concerned by reports of exploitative workplace practices that many international educated nursing staff in the care sector face. Our members report a range of issues from long working hours, excessive repayment fees to exit contracts, substandard and crowded accommodation, and illegal work finding fees.”
Cooper promised last June to hold an investigation into the experiences of people coming to the UK to work in the social care sector, after the Guardian uncovered widespread allegations of mistreatment.
The investigation showed how dozens of migrant nurses had been induced to pay tens of thousands of pounds for their visas on the promise of a job, only to find little or no work when they arrived.
Some were sharing rooms, and even beds, with other migrant workers, to make ends meet.
The problems stem from the decision by the previous government to relax the rules around sponsoring care worker visas, which ministers took in response to a staffing crisis in social care.
Cooper said at the time the Guardian’s revelations were a “disgrace”, adding: “There must be a full investigation into these reports to ensure standards are upheld, and exploitative employers are prosecuted.”
Since winning the election, Labour has indicated it will conduct this investigation through a new employment regulator which ministers are setting up as part of the employment rights bill. The government is yet to decide the exact remit for the new regulator, however, suggesting it will take several more months to establish.
Ranger said in her letter: “I am concerned that based on current timelines, the creation of the single enforcement body – subject to the passing of the employment rights bill – will not be until spring 2026 at the earliest. A subsequent investigation is likely to take several months to conclude.
after newsletter promotion
“In the meantime, these exploitative practices will continue, and I fear, will become more frequent. I urge officials in the Home Office and across government departments to launch the promised investigation now to ensure that victims are not let down by lengthy processes.”
The RCN says that in the last few years, complaints to its hotline from carers who say they are being mistreated have shot up from just 12 in 2020 to 110 last year.
Several people have complained about having to pay “repayment” fees when trying to leave a job to cover debts their employers say they have incurred during the hiring process. One nurse who contacted the union said she had been ordered to pay £25,000 to leave her job – the highest the RCN says it has ever seen.
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
