1. Introduction
A hostile political climate
On top of this shocking abuse, migrant workers are increasingly scapegoated in political debate and the media. They are blamed for NHS delays, housing shortages and low wages – even as they prop up the very services they are accused of straining. This hostile environment filters into the workplace. It can shape how managers treat migrant staff, and how safe people feel raising issues.
A union vision for change
UNISON believes the solution to the mistreatment and exploitation of migrant workers requires fundamental policy change. That means:
• Overhauling the visa system so workers are not tied to employers
• Creating a properly-funded National Care Service with decent pay and conditions
• Ending the Hostile Environment and No Recourse to Public Funds policies( the latter prevents migrant workers from accessing any state benefits).
However, real improvements will not come from policy reform alone. It will come from organising. Across the UK, UNISON members are building power – supporting migrant colleagues to speak out, challenging injustice, and pushing employers to do better. The union is listening to its membership, organising multilingual meetings, developing local charters, and making sure migrant voices are at the centre of this drive to push up standards.
Migrant workers are not just victims – they are union members, organisers and leaders. When migrant workers are underpaid, overworked, or silenced, standards are driven down across the workforce. Exploitation of one group weakens protections for all. But when migrant workers are treated with dignity, empowered to organise, and supported to speak out, the benefits are felt across whole workplaces. Stronger rights for some means better conditions for everyone.
Resources
• Skills for Care, The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2023
• ONS, Payrolled employments by nationality and region, December 2024
• Home Office, Entry clearance visa outcomes dataset, December 2024
• Home Office, Occupation-specific visa data, December 2024
• ONS, Long-term international migration flows, year ending June 2024
• UNISON, Caring at a cost: migrant workers in social care, 2025
• Home Office, UK immigration White Paper, 2025
• Business and Human Rights Centre, UK Global hotspot for migrant abuse 2024
• CIPD Briefing on the July 22 2025 immigration rule changes
8 LRD • Supporting migrant workers