Who will keep our care homes going if Ministers continue to pull up the drawbridge?
GMB, the union for care workers, says the Home Secretary must act after the House of Lords slammed the Government’s immigration policy.
The upper house today voted to amend the Government’s Immigration Bill and called for an independent review of the impact of the policy on the social care workforce within six months of the Bill becoming law.
GMB has campaigned against the immigration policy from the start. Analysis by the union showed the new rules could force the UK into a 460,000 care worker vacancy crisis.
Today, GMB union welcomes the House of Lords vote and calls on the Home Secretary to listen to what the Lords have said.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said:
“Care in the UK is facing a staffing black hole of almost half a million people thanks to the Government’s insulting immigration policy and failure to properly fund the sector.
“The Home Secretary must now accept what the House of Lords has today said about the Government’s Immigration Bill and its concerns about the impact on social care workers.
“For too long care workers have faced inadequate rates of pay, lack of recognition for their skills, and denial of opportunities for progression. We are determined to defend our members of all nationalities when their jobs are under threat.
“The demand on social care services is increasing every day, workloads are already unmanageable, and the Government must now try to plug the enormous staffing black hole.
“Who will keep our care homes going if Ministers continue to pull up the drawbridge?”
