In July, UVW joined 50 trade unions and organisations from across the UK in a joint letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for major changes to immigration policy and migrant workers’ rights. The Government has now responded. But it has failed to answer the demands we put to it.
The letter, initiated by the Migrant Rights Coalition, warned that immigration status can make it harder for migrant workers to leave exploitative jobs, report abuse and organise collectively. These are the conditions that prompted the coalition to write to the Government in the first place – and they have not gone away.
We called for a system based on security, dignity and equal rights for all workers.
We asked for direct engagement with the Prime Minister and relevant ministers. Instead, our letter was passed to the Home Office’s Rapid Response Team, which sent an unsigned response on 20 August – the very day by which the coalition had asked to meet with the Prime Minister and relevant ministers.
That is not the meaningful political engagement we asked for. The response largely restates existing Government positions, rather than addressing the substance of our demands.
On settlement, the Government repeats that settlement is a “privilege, not a right” and defends its “earned settlement” principle, including additional requirements around work, English language ability and community contribution. It says the final model may include exemptions or transitional arrangements for some people already on a route to settlement.
On Overseas Domestic Workers, the Government acknowledges concerns about the links between visa arrangements and modern slavery and says it intends to reconsider how the route operates. But rather than addressing the wider demand to end visas tied to restrictive employment arrangements, it points to protections it says already exist.
The response also rejects the term “hostile environment“ and defends restrictions on access to work, rented accommodation, public funds and services as part of what it describes as a “fair and controlled immigration system”.
Meanwhile, some of our central demands are simply left unanswered:
- An accessible and affordable programme of regularisation.
- Settlement guaranteed for all after no more than five years.
- An end to visas tied to restrictive employment arrangements.
- Real and enforceable employment rights for every worker.
- An end to the hostile immigration environment.
- Migrant workers and affected communities to be at the centre of policymaking.
The Government has also failed to engage with our request for direct dialogue with the PM and relevant ministers.
That is why UVW’s We Keep the City Running campaign matters.
UVW’s campaign aims to make the essential work done by migrant and working-class workers visible, challenge exploitation and build our collective power. From cleaners and security workers to care workers, hospitality workers and many others, migrant workers are doing the essential work that keeps our cities running. We deserve rights and protections that match the value of the work they do.
Migrant workers must also have a leading voice in shaping the policies that affect their lives and work. There can be no workers’ rights without migrant workers’ rights.
UVW will continue to organise alongside migrant workers and the wider Migrant Rights Coalition. Our demands remain on the table. And we will keep fighting until the Government answers them.