There's still time to ask Theresa May to protect migrant domestic workers!

Thank you everyone for your support so far! Since MRN and Kalayaan launched a letter-writing campaign in support of domestic workers last week, over 100 people have written to the Home Secretary in support of migrant domestic workers. Most people have added their own messages to tell her exactly why they are appalled by government plans to get rid of the current protections for domestic workers in the UK.

This comes on the back of a busy autumn for campaigners such as Kalayaan and Justice for Domestic Workers who have been working hard to convince the government not to make these changes. Now we need to keep the pressure up by urging her to do the right thing.

As the announcement has now been put back to the New Year, we have a bit more time to send messages to the Home Secretary ...

We have made it very easy for you to add your voice if you haven't done so already. All you have to do is click on the button below and, within two minutes, add another message for her to read in the New Year.

Let's give her some food for thought before the final announcement...

Here's a reminder of the proposals:

Last summer, the government launched a major blow to migrant worker rights in the UK. It issued controversial plans to do away with, or substantially reform, the visa for domestic workers from overseas.

The rationale? That migrant domestic workers will somehow be better protected if they have no specific visa, are unable to change employers in the UK when exploited, and effectively have no access to employment rights in the UK. 

If you are baffled or shocked by this topsy-turvy logic then rest assured that you are not alone. We think that this proposal would turn the clock back on a major set of protections for migrants, sending alarming signals about where the government stands on vulnerable workers in the UK.

Migrant domestic workers have had a specific visa in place since 1998. The introduction of this visa demonstrated political acknowledgement that migrants, often women, working in private houses are particularly exposed to abuse by their employers - and that the visa system has a role to play in protecting them. Currently the domestic worker visa provides real protection for the thousands of people who come to the UK every year to cook, clean and care for wealthy families.

For more reading about the domestic worker visa and government proposals, click here, here and here.