Labour will launch an investigation into the treatment of migrant workers in the British social care sector if it wins the election, the party has announced, after dozens of cases of alleged exploitation were uncovered.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, called the allegations revealed by the Guardian “a disgrace”, accusing the government of turning a blind eye to the problem.
She said Labour would back calls by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) for a full investigation into the experience of people who say they have been left trapped in the UK with debts of up to £20,000 and little or none of the work they were promised.
Cooper said: “The government has turned a blind eye to widespread exploitation of migrant care workers, putting vulnerable people at risk and undermining our immigration system and standards.
“Stories of people being unfairly charged thousands of pounds by agencies and employers who are profiting from overseas recruitment are a total disgrace. There must be a full investigation into these reports to ensure standards are upheld, and exploitative employers are prosecuted.”
She added that the crackdown on exploitation in the care sector would be led by the new enforcement body Labour plans to introduce to oversee new employment rights.
The Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, Daisy Cooper, said: “Cases like these show that the Conservatives have made a mess of our immigration system and have made little effort to clamp down on exploitation in the sector. This now needs to be investigated with urgency.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said on Monday: “The Home Office will always take action against any sponsor found to be failing in their responsibilities to ensure workers are paid appropriately for the work they do.”
The Conservatives did not respond to a request to comment about whether they would also hold an investigation if elected back into government.
The Guardian last week reported the experiences of more than 30 people who have arrived from India in the past two years to work in the British care sector.
All of them paid thousands of pounds to immigration agents, and in one case to a UK care provider itself, to secure visas to come to the country. But almost all were told when they arrived that there was not enough work to provide the full-time employment they had been promised.
As a result most remain stuck in the UK, struggling to pay off the debts they have incurred. Many have appealed to the Home Office, police and the care regulator, but none has been fully reimbursed.
One said he paid two agents the equivalent of £17,000 for a visa on the promise he would work for the Wolverhampton-based agency Swan Care Solutions on a salary of £22,880.
He said he was not given a single hour of work, and when he asked how he should earn a living, a Swan Care employee told him to find a food bank, adding: “This is life in the UK, we all have to struggle.”
Elizabeth Chengeta, Swan Care’s only director, said: “We have never engaged the assistance of an agent outside the UK to help with our recruitment needs.
“We have been in existence since 2019 and have got a few contracts with different councils to provide care and we do get work coming through regularly however, sometimes the volumes can be seasonal, we do have periods when volumes of work are high and sometimes it can reduce. This can be because of several reasons.”
She added: “We cannot comment on an individual case where we are not privy to their circumstances and interactions with our office staff.”
Another worker said his employer, the Colchester-based Ace 24 Healthcare, told him he would have to secure his own clients to get work, despite having signed a sponsorship certificate promising 40 hours a week at £10.10 an hour.
Ace 24 did not respond to these allegations directly but said: “We are proud to welcome migrant workers into our team, appreciating the unique talents and experiences they bring to our organisation.”
The company has now had its licence to offer sponsorship certificates revoked.
The RCN, meanwhile, reported a rise in the number of inquiries it has received about a range of issues related to exploitation, particularly where workers have incurred debts to agents or employers for visa fees, travel or training.
In one example, an RCN member wanted to resign after suffering a life-threatening mental health crisis but was told by management he would have to repay thousands of pounds to do so.
In several cases wages were withheld to repay loans made by the company. One member said they could not afford rental payments or transport to the workplace as a result.
The RCN said it was aware of at least one instance where an employer withheld a passport while demanding money be repaid, while other workers said they had been threatened with deportation should they be unable to pay.
The RCN wrote to the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats over the weekend calling for an investigation which it said should be overseen by ministers.
In the letters, which have been seen by the Guardian, the acting head of the RCN, Nicola Ranger, said: “I ask that you commit to ending this scandal and take the necessary steps to rid our care sector of this exploitation.”
