1. Introduction
The UK: a hotspot for migrant worker abuse
In 2024, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre listed the UK as the most common location for migrant worker abuse globally. Over 40 cases of exploitation were reported in just six months, spanning sectors such as health and social care, agriculture, hospitality, logistics and cleaning and impacting migrant workers from India, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Ecuador, Spain, Indonesia and Nigeria, among nine other countries. Workers reported wage theft, illegal recruitment fees, breaches of working time regulations, racism and sexual harassment. Large multinational companies were linked to migrant worker abuse occurring in the UK, including Amazon, Deliveroo, security provider ISS, Meta and Uber Eats, alongside multiple private healthcare companies. Over 40 % of cases were linked to the UK’ s health and social care sector.
Other well-known UK-headquartered companies and investors among those linked to allegations of migrant worker abuse included: Cotswold Outdoors, Deliveroo, Footasylum, HSBC, Hermes Asset Management, JD Sports, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer’ s, Next, Schroders and Sports Direct.
Exploitation in health and social care
UNISON’ s 2025 report Caring at a Cost, based on a survey of more than 3,000 migrant care staff, laid bare the scale of abuse of workers in the sector:
• 24 % had paid illegal recruitment fees
• 18 % experienced unauthorised wage deductions
• 27 % were paid less than the legal minimum
• Over 50 % of domiciliary care workers were not paid for travel time
• One-third were denied sick pay
• More than 46 % experienced racist treatment.
Many were denied shifts, targeted with racist abuse, or forced into unsafe and overcrowded housing. Critically, over a third also said they or a colleague had been threatened with dismissal or sponsorship withdrawal for raising concerns.
These findings are not limited to social care. Migrant staff working in the NHS have also reported racism, unequal treatment, and bullying. UNISON’ s experience shows that migrant nurses, healthcare assistants and porters often face additional scrutiny, are overlooked for progression, and are subject to covert and overt discrimination.
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