Over 400 migrant care workers and healthcare personnel staged a dramatic musical demonstration outside the UK Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to protest restrictive immigration proposals.
Organised by UNISON, the UK’s largest trade union, the protesters symbolically wore balls and chains to draw attention to what they described as severe workplace exploitation and systemic insecurity.
A central highlight of the demonstration was the collective performance of Nigerian singer-songwriter Aṣa’s 2007 hit track, “Jailer”. Organisers explained that the song was selected specifically for its resonant themes of oppression, power dynamics, and the refusal to accept being treated like a prisoner.
The protest was launched under UNISON’s Fair Visa Campaign to push back against sweeping immigration changes proposed under Home Office guidelines. Under the new plans, care staff, NHS employees, and lower-paid public service workers face an extended wait of up to 15 years to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK, a massive jump from the current five-year pathway.
Union leaders and participants voiced deep concern that current visa frameworks tie workers directly to specific employers, leaving them vulnerable to abuse out of fear that reporting bad conditions could jeopardise their legal status and their families’ futures. UNISON is demanding that the government maintain the five-year qualifying timeline and introduce a sector-wide sponsorship system to protect frontline care workers.
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