10. Bullying, harassment, discrimination and racism
• Curtailment letters – where sponsorship has been withdrawn, members have received Home Office letters while on maternity leave giving them just 60 days to leave the UK.
Why swift action matters
These cases show how pregnancy is being used by some employers as a reason to dismiss or force out migrant workers. The consequences are immediate and severe – job loss, income loss, and the risk of being forced out of the country while caring for a newborn. Reps should treat such cases as urgent. Prompt union intervention can safeguard visa status, help members secure further leave to remain where necessary, and prevent workers being left with no protection at a critical point in their lives.
Union actions can include:
• Supporting the member through a grievance process
• Engaging legal support to consider a tribunal claim
• Using these examples to press for better oversight of care providers from the council and other regulators
“ She thought she was on maternity leave – and then found out she’ d been dismissed three months before.” UNISON Caseworker
Tackling racism
Segregated shift patterns
In one case, black and migrant workers were disproportionately given night shifts, while white colleagues received more favourable daytime patterns. Reps highlighted this as evidence of indirect discrimination and challenged employers on fairness in rota allocation.
Racism is not only about individual actions. It can be embedded in how workplaces operate – from recruitment and promotion to how complaints are handled. Migrant and Black workers may be excluded from opportunities, blamed for problems, or held to higher standards than others.
Reps and branches can help challenge structural racism by:
• Using Workforce Race Equality Standard( WRES) data to press for changes in the NHS
• Asking for ethnicity monitoring, including discipline, pay and promotion, in other sectors
• Pressing for transparent, fair recruitment processes
LRD • Supporting migrant workers 57