Care workers from Nigeria, who previously risked losing their immigration status in the United Kingdom (UK) if they left their exploitative employers, have been promised new protections by a landmark charter.
The migrant care workers charter is an agreement designed by care workers and Unison, one of UK’s largest trade unions, to prevent the exploitation of migrant care workers on sponsored visas.
“The primary objective of this charter is to seek to address the human risk of modern slavery and serious labour exploitation within the adult social care sector. The most effective way to collectively tackle serious issues and risks is to acknowledge that they exist and to create a culture of cooperation and open communication, and to work together to resolve them,” a part of the charter stated.
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Salford city council, a local authority in Greater Manchester, became the first government unit to sign up to the agreement.
The charter includes a commitment that signatories, such as Salford, will identify or act as an “employer of last resort” for care workers who have been victimised, or whose migration status is jeopardised after losing a job through no fault of their own.
When and if any issue that could threaten the immigration status of the care workers arises, the charter would help them stay in the UK.
The charter came into existence after it was discovered that some rogue employers had been exploiting care workers, some of whom were Nigerians, in their bid to make money off them.
The union has also been working with Nigerian care workers employed by agencies whose licences were withdrawn by the Home Office to ensure they stay in the UK.
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Apart from Nigerian care workers, migrants from India and The Philippines facing similar predicaments are also expected to benefit from the new agreement.
Signatories to the charter also committed to creating an “ethical recruiter list” in order to stop rogue employers from further exploiting the care workers.
The post Hope Rises for Exploited Nigerian Care Workers in the UK appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.