The British government had on Thursday, November 28 mapped out stronger sanctions against employers exploiting foreign workers. This decision is following research revealing abuses particularly in the social care sector.
Businesses that continuously flout visa rules or commit serious employment infractions, such as not paying the minimum wage, will be prohibited from recruiting foreign workers for two years, –an increase from the current 12 months, the government said.
The minister for migration and citizenship, Seema Malhotra said worker exploitation was unacceptable.
In her words;
“Shamefully, these practices have been seen particularly in our care sector, where workers coming to the UK to support our health and social care service have all too often found themselves plunged into unjustifiable insecurity and debt. This can, and must, end.”
Britain had opened up a new visa route for social care jobs in 2021 to fill thousands of vacancies, but a number of factors such as low pay and poor working conditions have made migrant workers in the sector more susceptible to exploitative treatment.
Almost a third of all care workers in England are migrants who arrived from countries like India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the Philippines.
New research this month revealed that almost 200 British social care providers allowed to employ foreign workers were found to have a record of labour violations.
Since July 2022, about 450 licences allowing employers to recruit foreign workers have been cancelled in the care sector.
Also included in the measures are action plans that bind companies committing minor visa breaches to particular corrective actions will be applied for 12 months, up from three.
The changes will be part of the new Labour government’s Employment Rights Bill.
