GMB Union is campaigning for international workers in health and social care and to protect the sector from collapse.
Sign the Petition
International workers are the backbone holding up the health and social care system in the UK. With 130,000 vacancies in care alone, there are 400,000 overseas workers who have been invited here to care for the elderly and vulnerable. Without international workers, the sector, which is already in crisis, would have collapsed long ago.
The new government threshold requires international workers to be earning £12.82 an hour to apply for a Health and Social Care VISA. Care work is undervalued and underfunded with most workers pay being just above the minimum wage of £12.21. Many employers will respond by ending the sponsorships of these workers, pushing them into unemployment and poverty.
GMB are standing up for all workers in care and calling on the government to
- Immediately lower the sponsorship earnings threshold to align with average sector pay
- Immediately invest in funding the care sector overall and increasing wages
- Immediately invest in regional care initiatives that support displaced workers into better employment
