Yesterday, Peers rejected a crucial amendment that would have secured baseline rights for some of the UK’s most vulnerable workers. 

Domestic workers and exploitation experts have criticised this move as not only a dangerous neglect of vulnerable workers, but a Labour u-turn on protections they called for in opposition.

The amendment, tabled by Baroness Hamwee, would have allowed migrant domestic workers to change their employer, to renew their visa for a period of not less than 12 months, to be allowed partners and children to apply to join them, and to be allowed a route to indefinite leave to remain. These measures would have brought the standards for this particularly vulnerable group of workers back up to the standard of the 1998 Overseas Domestic Worker Visa, which was scrapped in 2012. The amendment was defeated by peers, 140 to 61. 

Marissa Begonia [she/her], founder and director of Voice of Domestic Workers, said:

“The defeat of this amendment is a devastating blow to migrant domestic workers who have long been promised protection, dignity, and the right to rebuild their lives. This decision undermines justice, compassion, and the very values the UK claims to uphold. 

“Once again, the government has turned its back on those who clean its homes, care for its children, and uphold its households – refusing even the most basic rights to renew visas, the right to citizenship or reunite with family. 

“This is not just a policy failure; it is a betrayal of trust and humanity. We are grateful to the massive support we received; we will not stop until every domestic worker is free from tied visas, exploitation, and silence.’’ 

Kate Roberts [she/her], Head of Policy at Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX), said:

“This government talks a big game about security and dignity for all workers in the UK , and yet here they are rejecting a simple proposal to secure that for some of the most vulnerable workers in the country.  

“This Labour u-turn against protections they once championed furthered the risk of exploitation, abuse and slavery that migrant domestic workers are facing right now, every day.

“Migrant domestic workers do their jobs in isolation, working in private homes, away from regulation and resources. They consistently face risks from exploitative conditions to outright slavery. The nature of their visas creates massive dependencies on their employer regardless.

“For as long as migrant domestic workers are reliant on a single employer, they continue to face exploitation or destitution.”

Victoria Marks [she/her], Director of Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (ATLEU), said: 

“In the course of our work advising migrant domestic workers, over and over again we hear harrowing stories of abuse and exploitation; from being forced to work seven days a week for little or no salary, to physical and verbal abuse and violence. 

“The restrictions of the current visa drives this exploitation and so often thwart access to justice and remedy. This proposal was a chance to remedy this protection gap. 

“We are deeply disappointed that a Labour government, which claims to champion worker’s rights, has ignored the voices of migrant domestic workers, and voted against safety and justice.” 

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This u-turn comes despite an overwhelming evidence base demonstrating the huge risks of abuse, exploitation, trafficking and slavery faced by migrant domestic workers, and how this was exacerbated by the 2012 shift that this amendment would have addressed if passed. Some of those findings include:

• 14% of workers who were issued a visa prior to 6 April 2012 presented with what Kalayaan assessed to be indicators of trafficking.
  • This rose to 40% of the workers issued a visa after 6 April 2012 and 41% of the workers issued a visa after 6 April 2016.
• 52% of workers who were issued a visa prior to 6 April 2012 had no day off in the UK.
  • This rose to 70% of workers issued a visa after 6 April 2012 and 66% of workers issued a visa after 6 April 2016.
• 47% of workers who were issued a visa prior to 6 April 2012 did not have access to their passport in the UK.
  • This rose to 73% of workers issued a visa after 6 April 2012 and 6 April 2016 respectively.

More information on the amendment, including a briefing, can be found here.