12. Using leverage: how to approach employers
to escalate. In others, direct confrontation can trigger retaliation, including the loss of sponsorship or employment. Reps and organisers should assess the employer’ s stability, how many workers could be affected, and what risks a member might face if the employer reacts badly. This assessment will help determine whether a direct or indirect approach is safer.
In cases where direct pressure might endanger the worker, it is often more effective to use alternative routes – such as commissioners, regulators, local councillors or the media – to apply pressure while protecting the individual. These channels can often achieve the same goals with less personal risk to the worker involved.
“ We go through the council. They do a monitoring visit. It protects the member.” – UNISON organiser
Using the power of councils and commissioners
If a provider holds a local authority contract, the council becomes a key point of leverage. Contract managers, commissioning officers and elected councillors can all be allies. In some cases, a quiet word with a friendly councillor can unlock urgent action, raise political pressure or trigger a review of provider practices. UNISON branches can raise concerns through formal meetings with council officers, bring evidence to scrutiny panels, or support motions at council level to commit to ethical employment standards.
This approach is especially useful where providers are small or reluctant to engage directly. By using the commissioning power of councils, branches can demand clauses on fair pay, safe housing, access to trade unions, and proper handling of grievances. Councils can add conditions to contracts, conduct monitoring visits, or refuse to renew agreements with non-compliant providers. This not only protects migrant workers who may fear speaking out, it also puts pressure on employers to raise standards across the board.
Ethical recruitment and procurement
Councils and NHS bodies can be pressured to use only ethical recruiters and set standards in their tenders. Reps and branches can:
• Promote the NHS Ethical Recruiters List
• Push for procurement clauses banning recruitment fees
• Use the Migrant Workers Charter to campaign for fairer contracts( see Appendix II)
• Build alliances with migrant groups to demand change
As one UNISON branch secretary pointed out:“ Procurement isn’ t just a contract. It’ s a chance to raise the floor.”
68 LRD • Supporting migrant workers