- Conference
- 2025 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 6 June 2025
- Decision
- Carried
This Conference notes with dismay the publication of the White Paper on immigration on Monday 12 May 2025, which proposes to stop or limit international recruitment of care and health workers to the UK, allegedly because in the view of the government that it is the “right thing to do”.
Conference believes that this is not the right thing to do for health care in the UK where there is a reliance on migrant workers in both health and social care.
Conference is also of the view that the suggestion that skills requirements for migrant workers should be raised to degree level is nonsense. The assumption being made is that overseas care workers do not already possess the necessary skills and empathy required to look after those in their care. The White Paper proposals will fundamentally restrict the number of overseas workers who are able to provide essential care in care homes throughout the UK creating even more vacancies in a sector already in crisis, forcing many homes to close, or increase already exorbitant fees which many families will be unable to afford.
The proposal assumes care homes will be able to recruit local staff which this conference believes is unlikely. It will also cause even more disruption to the NHS because of consequential delayed discharges resulting in great distress for families and disrupting lives.
The right thing to do is to oppose these proposals, seek guarantees that those existing migrant care workers can remain in work, and ensure that there is a properly funded social care service for the future that pays a fair wage and provides appropriate training for its staff.
Conference therefore calls on the National Retired Members Committee to:
i) Seek the support of the National Executive Council and work with Labour Link to lobby the Labour Party and raise awareness of this issue and campaign against these proposals;
ii) Call on TUC, Age UK, NPC, Scottish Pensioners Forum and other relevant pensioner organisations to raise awareness and campaign against these proposals;
iii) Encourage regional and branch retired members groups to highlight this issue, lobby local MPs and raise awareness of the impact on of these proposals on the care sector and NHS.