Care workers recruited abroad to care for the elderly and disabled in the UK are earning thousands of pounds at illegal rates and are forced to work under operating conditions to pay off their debts.
An Observer investigation has uncovered a network of agencies that supply workers to residences and home care agencies that charge recruitment fees to candidates.
By law, agents may not charge a fee for finding or attempting to find a candidate job. The practice of charging recruitment fees, previously exposed in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, is considered an abuse of human rights that leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation.
But tariffs are often disguised as “processing”, “service” or “administration” charges, and many workers are unaware that they are illegal. Often, the breakdown of fares or the total amount is not fully disclosed until the worker has arrived in the UK, at which point he has already paid for the flights and relocation.
Workers in India, the Philippines, Ghana and Zimbabwe are among those hired for their hiring, with quotas ranging from £ 3,000 to £ 18,000.
Some have been trapped in debt slavery, a form of modern slavery, as a result of taxes. The suspected victims described how the officers had deducted money from their salaries and withheld their passport or residence permit until they had returned the amount due.
Others claim to have been abused and threatened or paid less than the minimum wage. They cannot rule because the sponsorship system for healthcare workers means that their visa is tied to their employer.
A couple has been arrested by the Gangmasters and Labor Abuse Authority on suspicion of exploiting vulnerable students working in care homes in North Wales. Photography: GLAA
The findings come as the UK struggles with a worsening crisis in social care staff, with an estimated 105,000 vacancies nationwide and thousands of patients facing long-term care delays.
Many of the care workers used a government visa scheme introduced in February that added care workers to the shortage employment list to attract international candidates.
But evidence gathered by the Observer, including interviews with alleged victims, charities, and labor experts; conversations with agents; and analysis of payroll, contracts and online chat groups – reveals that the new visa route is being widely abused by agencies and traffickers, leaving workers open to exploitation.
In an exchange with a covert journalist last week, an agency that supplies Indian workers to nursing homes said the candidates’ fee for arranging a £ 10 an hour job would be 1.7 million rupees, about 17,600. £.
Another cited £ 4,500 for a “placement package” that includes a certificate of sponsorship, a cost normally borne by the employer and “visa application support”, which only lawyers and advisers registered immigration can legally charge.
Accommodation of Indian care workers. Photography: GLAA
Todd Maforimbo, who studied labor supply in the UK healthcare sector and is now campaigning on labor abuse, said they had contacted more than 30 healthcare workers who were charging fees. “People come looking for a better life, but it’s ending up in worse situations,” he said.
Modern slavery in the care sector is a growing problem, with several raids by the government’s labor abuse agency recently and data from charities and the Quality of Care Commission suggesting an increase. of the cases.
In one case in North Wales, nine Indian workers were found sleeping on mattresses in cramped and unhealthy conditions. Colleagues at the residences where they worked reported that they appeared “tired and smelly” and saw them eating leftovers from residents’ meals.
Workers, who came to Britain as students, are believed to have worked up to 80 hours a week for the minimum wage, with their wages controlled by their alleged exploiters.
An internal report from the Gangmasters and Labor Abuse Authority, seen by the Observer, said more monitoring was needed by nursing homes and universities to “avoid debt bondage and highlight potential traffickers.”
The Department of Health said it was taken “very seriously” over illegal labor practices in the sector and that agencies or employers operating illegally could be prosecuted.
He added that suppliers must comply with the ethical standards set out in their code of practice for international procurement, which prohibits procurement fees and says any costs incurred by agencies must be borne by employers.