UK MIGRANT WORKERS WEAR CHAINS, SING AṣA’S ‘JAILER’ IN DEMONSTRATION AGAINST 15-YEAR SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL

Protesters organized under the UNISON trade union banner rally outside the UK Labour Party conference in Liverpool, warning that proposed immigration revisions will heighten exploitation and undermine public services  

Hundreds of migrant healthcare and public sector workers in the United Kingdom gathered outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, wearing symbolic iron chains and singing Nigerian soul artist Aṣa’s hit song "Jailer" to protest proposed changes to settlement regulations.  

Organized under the auspices of UNISON’s Fair Visa Campaign, the demonstration drew over 400 essential workers protesting plans put forward by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood that could extend the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five years to 15 years.  

Demonstrators selected Aṣa's iconic 2007 anthem due to its poignant themes of structural oppression, power dynamics, and human resistance against captivity, emphasizing that restrictive visa conditions effectively bind migrant workers to single employers under threat of deportation.  

Addressing the crowd, UNISON General Secretary Andrea Egan stressed that National Health Service institutions and adult social care networks rely heavily on foreign personnel, warning that extending residency timelines will severely worsen staff shortages and worker vulnerability across the country.  

The trade union is advocating for the retention of the established five-year pathway to permanent residency alongside a sector-wide visa sponsorship framework to safeguard care workers from workplace abuse and economic instability.