Two Zimbabwean carers win case against E2E Homecare Ltd owned by Lynette Tendai after being denied pay and pressured to accept unfair contract changes — exposing the quiet exploitation behind Britain’s care visa scheme.
LONDON, 2025 – When Linnet Magomana and Mildred Dhirawu arrived in the UK from Zimbabwe in 2023, they came with hope, legal visas, and a deep commitment to caring for others. Instead, they found themselves fighting for the most basic of rights: to be paid fairly and treated with dignity.
In a judgment handed down by the UK Employment Tribunal this month, the panel found that their employer E2E Homecare Limited unlawfully withheld holiday pay and pressured them into revised contracts, leaving them vulnerable, uncertain, and exploited.
The tribunal awarded each woman just under £600 a small sum, but a symbolic victory in a growing movement to expose and confront abuse within the UK’s Health and Care Worker visa system.
“We were not asking for luxury,” said Ms Magomana. “We just wanted the rights every worker is entitled to.”
“They Treated Us Like We Were Disposable”
The carers were both employed by E2E Homecare under sponsorship visas, a route that ties workers to a single employer a system many campaigners now argue creates the perfect storm for exploitation.
According to tribunal documents, both women worked extensive hours under stressful conditions. When they inquired about holiday pay, the company failed to pay what was legally owed. Later, E2E Homecare tried to pressure the women into signing new contracts, allegedly without clear explanation or informed consent.
When the women resisted, they were accused of forging their own signatures a claim the tribunal found unproven and unsupported by evidence.
The judge ruled the employer had acted unlawfully, both in failing to pay the statutory holiday entitlement and in not properly recording or validating their employment terms.
OTHERS LIKED:
A Broken System, Again
The ruling is the latest in a series of cases exposing how UK-based care firms have been abusing the Health and Care Worker visa system, targeting workers from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, India, and beyond.
From overcharging for sponsorships to failing to provide contracted hours, employers have been using the complexity of the immigration system and the workers’ dependence on visa sponsorship as leverage to underpay and control staff.
While Magomana and Dhirawu were not charged illegal fees, their experience reflects the same power imbalance that has become systemic.
“When a worker cannot change employers without risking deportation, exploitation becomes not a possibility but a guarantee,” said one legal advocate who supports migrant care workers.
“Justice” That Still Falls Short
Though the tribunal ruled in their favour, the women’s award less than £600 each is a stark reminder that tribunal victories often fail to fully compensate victims for their loss of dignity, financial hardship, and emotional trauma.
“This wasn’t just about money,” said Ms Dhirawu. “It was about being treated like we mattered.”
Despite the ruling, E2E Homecare Ltd faces no criminal penalties, no fines, and no public inquiry. The company did not dispute key facts in the case but offered little explanation for its failures.
The Bigger Picture: A National Reckoning?
The case of Magomana and Dhirawu adds to growing calls for:
- A national compensation scheme for exploited care workers,
- Reform of the sponsorship system, allowing workers greater freedom,
- Tougher penalties for employers who violate basic employment rights.
The UK government has so far resisted these calls, even as more workers come forward with similar stories of underpayment, abuse, and abandonment.
Conclusion
For Magomana and Dhirawu, the tribunal ruling is both a personal vindication and a public call to action.
“We came here to care for people,” said Magomana. “Instead, we had to fight to be treated as human.”
Their story, like so many others, exposes a hard truth: Britain’s care sector crisis is being balanced on the backs of the vulnerable and it’s time for real accountability.
