Medically trained Zimbabweans are manipulated by unscrupulous intermediaries who bring them to the UK, withhold almost half their pay and force them to live in squalid conditions.
The scam, which exploits the severe shortages of nursing and caring staff in British hospitals and nursing homes, is reminiscent of the debt bondage that was recently revealed to be imposed on Indonesian peasants.
A well-functioning system
Zimbabwe is going through an economic crisis, and thousands of graduates in the health and social sector are seeking employment abroad. Agencies – which are often run by Zimbabweans in the UK and fall outside any legal framework – do operate them, however, according to the findings of a survey by the Daily Telegraph.
“When you work for an agency [au Royaume-Uni]they pay us 50% of our total salary, testifies Jim Moyo*, who arrived from Harare in November 2018 to work in a retirement home in Margate, south-east London. The hourly rate is 14 pounds [16 euros]but these people only yield 7.” He adds that, net of taxes, he is left with the equivalent of 4 pounds an hour. [4,6 euros] pour “rent, food and all sorts of other expenses”.
The agency argues that it funds accommodation, flights, visa, and sponsors the employee. “It is a kind of abusive loan”, affirmed Jim Moyo.
Zimbabwean nurses have been finding work in the UK for years, but this is new to other healthcare professions. Experts told the Daily Telegraph that a lucrative ecosystem of manipulations was formed on this occasion. “Exploitation does not begin upon arrival [au Royaume-Uni], points out Hillary Musarurwa, a social scientist born in Zimbabwe and working in England. It starts with the application file [au Zimbabwe].”
Skillfully exploited legal loopholes
One way to get to the UK is through Red Cross health and social certification. “They look like stables; Red Cross centers are overflowing with trainees hoping to go to the UK. They are former teachers and geologists who are ready to do anything to retrain and integrate the British medical-social sector”. says Joseph Zuze*, an apprentice nurse at Mutare Hospital who plans to emigrate to the UK once he graduates.
The “sponsorship certificate” from a British employer is a highly coveted document, which is why it ended up being exploited by intermediaries, according to people in Zimbabwe. Joseph Zuze says his wife was scammed by “agents” who charged him $380 to put him on the waiting list for training, even though official Red Cross certification only costs $300 [300 euros]. These agents are in no way employees or contractors of the Zimbabwean branch of the Red Cross, and there is no evidence that this organization is aware of their existence.
Private WhatsApp groups, which the Daily Telegraph was able to consult, show that so-called agents request