We all deserve to be treated fairly at work. But the UK has too many jobs with low wages, long hours, and little stability. The solution to these problems is to level up workers' rights.

But too often our immigration system gets in the way of workers' rights. The UK has some of the most expensive visa fees in the world, lengthy routes to settlement and citizenship with repeated visa renewals, and strict conditions which can leave people tied into exploitative or dangerous situations.

We need meaningful change to strengthen rights for all workers.

Government must end ‘rampant’ exploitation of migrant workers, say Unions

21 trade unions, including UNISON, the RMT and the PCS union, have condemned Government’s attempts to ‘pit’ workers against each other, and are calling for urgent action to end the exploitation of migrant workers, including undocumented people.

Their calls come amidst a renewed commitment to the hostile environment from Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who announced he would increase immigration raids on workplaces by 50% this year and re-start data-sharing of undocumented people’s bank accounts. It also comes in the wake of the Government announcing draconian new anti-strike laws which would effectively remove this vital organising tool from tens of thousands of workers.

Along with Government’s temporary visa schemes, which have been significantly expanded since 2019, these hostile policies are putting migrant workers at increased risk of abuse and exploitation.

Read the Migrant Workers' Pledge below.

If you represent a trade union and want to sign the pledge, contact [email protected]  

For press enquiries please contact Nadia Hasan, Press Officer for JCWI at [email protected]. Spokespeople are available for comment.

If you believe that migrants' rights are key to levelling up workers' rights, join us!

Stand up for workers' rights

Migrant Workers' Pledge

We, as a trade union, pledge to stand in solidarity with all migrant workers, who are a vital part of our labour movement and our communities.

All workers in the UK need safety at work, decent pay, and protection if bosses seek to take advantage of them. No worker should lose their job, or be pushed into poverty, unsustainable debt, homelessness or unsafe housing, simply because of the colour of their skin or where they were born. No worker should be vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and unable to report mistreatment, out of fear of losing their job or being removed from the country.

As part of the trade union movement, we pledge to resist this government’s hostility and racism by unionising more migrant workers and supporting all our migrant members to advance their labour rights through the power of collective bargaining, organising and industrial action.

We will strive to advance the rights of undocumented workers, who remain at the sharpest end of workplace precarity, and will work to secure their ability to unionise. 

We call for an end to temporary visa schemes, which put migrant workers at risk of exploitation and abuse, and instead call for visas which provide workers with stability, flexibility to change employers and the ability to build their lives in the UK.

We call for a separation between immigration enforcement and labour inspectorates, to protect all workers and ensure everyone can safely report abuse and exploitation.

We call on employers not to assist the Home Office with immigration raids in our workplaces and in our communities.

We stand against this government’s attempts to pit worker against worker and recognise that united we are stronger. An injury to one is an injury to all.

Signed by

ASLEF

BFAWU

Community

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)

Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB)

Musicians Union

NASUWT

National Union of Journalists (NUJ)

National Education Union (NEU)

PCS

RMT

Social Workers Union (SWU)

The TUC

UCU

UNISON

Unite

United Road Transport Union (URTU)

USDAW

United Sex Workers (USW)

United Voices of the World (UVW)

Add your voice

Has your union signed the pledge? You could share the news on twitter, with a message like this one:

Migrants make up a vital part of our labour movement and our communities. I'm really proud to see my union [@ your union] speaking out against government racism and anti-migrant hostility. Read the Migrant Workers Pledge via @jcwi_uk at https://www.jcwi.org.uk/unions-speak-out-for-migrant-workers-rights

If your union has not signed the pledge, why not send them a nudge on twitter?

Migrants make up a vital part of our labour movement and our communities. I would love to see my union [@ your union] speaking out against government racism and anti-migrant hostility. Will you sign the Migrant Workers Pledge via @jcwi_uk https://www.jcwi.org.uk/unions-speak-out-for-migrant-workers-rights

If you represent a trade union and want to sign the pledge, contact [email protected]