Hundreds of healthcare workers in UK without jobs: Agents continue to recruit from Kerala

By A Staff Reporter

LONDON May 1: Hundreds of healthcare workers, who have arrived in UK are left without jobs for several months, this website has first hand information on this.

Jyotsana, who was working with a reputed hospital as nurse in Kochi, decided to come to the UK through the skilled worker visa route for a better life for her family. Jyotsana was sold this dream of UK and she didnt bother to do her qualifying exams to come here as a nurse but opted to arrive under the healthcare visa for which the threshold of English language is lower.

Jyotsana rang us for help and her story was that she paid Rs15 lakhs to two individuals in Kerala to secure the Certificate of Sponsorship (COS). On her arrival in the UK she realised that she is not able to start the job at a care home as there isnt a job available for her.

Jobs at care homes are very scarce these days, according to information received. It is learnt that even those who are working in some care homes arent getting enough working hours to sustain their livelihood in the UK.

When I informed Jyotsana about this she asked me then why the agent is still continuing to recruit from Kerala for this care home when she is still remaining here without work. This is the story many healthcare workers who have arrived in the UK has to tell us.

We asked Jyotsana on what help she requires from us. Her query is on what options she has got now. We advsied her to take legal guidance in order for her to reclaim the losses from the actual agent who sold her the COS.

Interestingly Jyotsana paid the Rs15 lakhs to two individuals in Kerala and the actual agent/broker wasnt one of them who received this money. We asked Jyotsana to pursue the actual agent for her to receive at least some money so that she can use it when she is looking to secure another job. Jyotsana isnt interested in taking any legal actions against the agent/broker and will wait for the job to come up at the care home.

For the last two months she has been surviving with the money she brought from Kerala.

Less Hours

We also have a story of a woman who was brought in the UK after her paying Rs17 lakhs. She got the job in the care home but is provided only between 17 and 20 hours per week which means she is not able to afford her living. She is also looking to bring her family next week and she wants to move to another care home where she can get more hours. But for this she need to pay another few thousand pounds for a new COS. We advsied her to look to apply direct to care homes and signposted her with links to the ethical recruiters and government websites.

Recycling

Newly arrived healthcare workers losing job has become common these days. It was only last month a healthcare worker Sinty was sacked from her job. On speaking to her she told us that she wasnt provided with enough training and the management always picked on her and started to find faults in what she did. We secured her legal gudiance and our solicitor colleagues gave her the advise. However, she decided to opt to move on to another job as she was so much distressed with the staff treatment she received. She lost Rs15 lakhs. She wasnt willing to go back to Shintu, the agent to get back at least some money. Interestingly Shintu was in Kochi recruiting for another healthcare worker to fill the void created by Sinty. Insiders say that there is a nexus between the agent/broker and the care home management where they decide to increase revenue by sacking healthcare workers to bring in new ones where both the agent/broker and the care home management will make more revenue. We have received stories even of healthcare workers sacked from their jobs for calling in sick. Interestingly none of these healthcare workers are willing to pursue legal actions against the agent or the care home.

Big players

Then we have the big players. Big business establishments who are advertising heavily in Kerala using cine actors. We are part of a Whatsapp group of scores of healthcare workers who are held up in the UK without work for several months now. The stories we hear from those who are here in the UK without jobs are heartwrenching. Scores of families are here in the UK without starting a job in spite of them here for several months. Those who are affected by this particular company are in the process of filing a case with the government authorities in the UK and in Kerala.

The only option here is to take appropriate legal action against such fraudulent agents who have taken your money.

Are you affected by any recruitment agencies? Please email editor@ukmalayalee.com, we can signpost you to appropriate government agencies or solicitors for you to take action. Alternatively email eas@beis.gov.uk or intelligence@gla.gov.uk