Cooper: We Will Stop Care Worker Visas Used to Recruit From Abroad

Summary

The video discusses the UK's dependency on foreign care workers and the government's decision to stop issuing care worker visas to recruit from abroad. Instead, the focus will shift to utilizing the existing pool of workers who have already come to the UK under such visas, many of whom faced exploitative conditions. Cooper argues that care companies should hire from this pool and consider other visa holders within the UK. Alongside these changes, Cooper emphasizes the need for a fair pay agreement to address systemic problems in the care sector and reduce reliance on foreign recruitment.

Highlights

• The UK’s care sector will see major visa reforms stopping foreign recruitment 🚫
• Exploitation of foreign care workers highlights need for better recruitment policies ⚠️
• New rules encourage recruiting from a pool of care workers already in the UK 👨‍⚕️
• Cooper emphasizes the need for fair pay to improve care sector conditions 💷
• Potential for recruitment from existing non-care worker visa holders in the UK 🇬🇧

Key Takeaways

• The UK will stop care worker recruitment from abroad as part of immigration changes 🇬🇧
• Cooper highlights the exploitation faced by some foreign care workers 👥
• Focus will shift to recruiting from a pool of existing, locally available workers 🏡
• There's a call for a new fair pay agreement for care workers to tackle sector issues 💼
• Existing workers on other visas represent an untapped recruitment potential 🌐

Overview

In a bold move, Cooper announces changes to the UK's care worker visas, halting the recruitment of foreign workers. This decision comes amidst growing concerns over exploitation and improper job standards faced by foreign recruits. The new strategy encourages utilizing existing care workers already in the UK, marking a significant policy shift.

Cooper sheds light on the systemic issues plaguing the care sector, from unfair pay to lack of proper recruitment standards. By redirecting recruitment efforts towards a pool of workers already present in the country, the plan aims to strengthen the sector's integrity while addressing the urgent need for domestic staffing solutions.

The conversation also introduces the idea of a fair pay agreement, highlighting that financial improvements are crucial for the sector's sustainability. By preventing foreign recruitment and focusing on homegrown talent, Cooper envisions a robust and ethical care sector poised to meet future demands.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Recruitment Changes in the Care Sector The chapter discusses changes in recruitment within the care sector, specifically focusing on the reliance on foreign workers to fill positions. The current government's policy changes, spearheaded by the Tories, have led to a reduction in the number of visas issued to care workers from abroad. The narrative suggests a commitment to further restricting these visas and implies a future aim to end recruitment of care workers from overseas. Despite recognizing the reliance on foreign labor, there is a clear intention to change existing rules to curb this practice.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Issues with Sponsorship Visas The chapter discusses issues related to sponsorship visas, particularly in the care worker sector. It mentions that over 10,000 individuals came on a care worker visa only to find out that their sponsorship visas were cancelled. The jobs they expected were either non-existent or not up to standard. As a result, there is a push for care companies to recruit from this pool of individuals already present in the country rather than seeking workers from abroad. The chapter also highlights a significant policy change—closing recruitment from abroad to address these issues.
• 01:00 - 01:30: New Policies for Domestic Recruitment The chapter discusses the introduction of a new fair pay agreement for care workers, prompted by the significant increase in recruitment from abroad in the care sector. Despite this influx, the system's inherent problems remain unaddressed, resulting in persistent staff shortages. The chapter highlights the dilemma faced by care home managers who are struggling to find staff. It emphasizes the need for proper recruitment processes and checks to ensure that the care workers, who joined in good faith, are appropriately supported and integrated into the sector.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Ensuring Proper Standards and Support The chapter discusses the exploitation of workers due to the lack of proper standards. It suggests that care companies should focus on recruiting workers who are already present in the country, including extending visas of existing workers and recruiting from those holding other types of visas. The chapter advocates ending the recruitment of care workers from abroad.

Cooper: We Will Stop Care Worker Visas Used to Recruit From Abroad Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 And so let's think about, you know, the NHS and the care sector. And the care sector's relied on foreign workers because they just haven't been able to get UK people to do the jobs. Um the Tories changed the rules. So there's already been a drop off in the number of visas being given to care workers coming in from abroad. Do you want to cut that still further? Can you see a day even when you say no care worker should come in from abroad? Yes, we do. And we're changing going to change those rules this year to prevent uh the care worker visa being used to recruit from abroad. So we Yes. So, but we will allow them to
• 00:30 - 01:00 continue to extend visas and also to recruit from there's more than 10,000 people who came on a care worker visa where the the sponsorship visa was cancelled effectively. They came to jobs that weren't actually here or that were not of the proper standard. They are here and care companies should be recruiting from that pool of people rather than recruiting from abroad. So, we are closing recruitment from abroad. That is a significant change and we're doing it alongside saying we need to
• 01:00 - 01:30 bring in a new fair pay agreement for care workers because we saw that huge increase in care work recruitment from abroad but without actually ever tackling the problems in the system in the care sector. There are already shortages in that sector. I can almost imagine somebody running a care home emailing us right now saying I can't get staff. Where are they meant to get their staff from? Well, we want them to recruit. We've got this pool of people who came as care workers in good faith. They were recruited. But because there were no proper checks in place, because
• 01:30 - 02:00 there were no proper standards, what instead happened was people were being exploited, really badly exploited. Those workers are still here. Care companies should be recruiting from those workers. They can also extend existing visas. They could in recruit as well from people who are on other visas who are already here. But we do think it's time to end that care worker recruitment from abroad.