Unison to Protest Labour Conference Over UK Visa Curbs Unison will protest outside Labour's annual conference in Liverpool over proposed UK visa curbs that could extend the wait for indefinite leave to remain from five to 10 years or more. Britain's largest trade union, Unison, will stage a protest outside Labour's annual conference in Liverpool next week over the Government's proposed immigration curbs. The demonstration, part of Unison's Fair Visa Campaign, targets plans by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to toughen UK visa rules. Unison has more than 1.3 million members. Visa Rule Changes and ILR WaitThe Government aims to reduce net migration by increasing the time immigrants must wait before applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). The settlement period would rise from five years to at least 10 years, and in many cases even longer.Unison has warned that migrant workers could be forced to leave the UK because of these proposed changes. The union represents care staff, NHS employees and lower paid public service workers who would be affected by the curbs.It has been campaigning for the increase in the settlement period for ILR to be dropped. Unison is urging Ms Mahmood to rethink proposals it says would drive away international staff despite workforce shortages in key sectors.Union Criticism of Government PromisesMs Mahmood's plans have drawn criticism from Labour's Left-wing MPs and trade unions, including Unison, who want the Home Secretary to soften the changes.At next week's protest, the union is set to accuse Labour ministers of breaking promises to migrant workers when they were recruited to work in the UK.Unison's senior vice president Debbie Rowden told the TUC Congress in Brighton earlier this month that instead of the five years to settlement originally promised, the Government now wants to keep workers waiting for 15 years. She said they specifically targeted Unison members working in health and social care, describing their work as low waged and low skilled. She added that the Government said people who do this work did not contribute enough to the country. Rowden said this is not just an attack on migrant workers, but on all who do work that is not valued as it should be.TransPennine Express Strike During ConferenceRail workers on publicly-owned TransPennine Express are also set to strike during Labour's annual gathering in Liverpool. Around 200 workers are set to go on strike on Monday, with a flying picket of workers outside Labour's conference venue, according to the New Statesman.TransPennine Express was nationalised in 2023 but many of its workers remain outsourced to private contractors despite Labour's pledge to bring about the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation.The action forms part of an ongoing dispute between the RMT union and TransPennine Express over pay terms and conditions for catering and cleaning staff employed by outsourced companies.RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that with the Labour Party conference coming up and no settlement in sight, they wanted to bring members to call on the government to deliver on this promise for the largest wave of insourcing in a generation.Andrew McClements, customer experience and transformation director at TransPennine Express, said he apologised to customers travelling on that date and asked them to bear with the company. Where possible, he advised passengers to bring their own refreshments.Government Response to Insourcing PledgeA spokesperson for the Department for Transport said Great British Railways (GBR) will sweep away decades of fragmentation, stopping unnecessary waste and create a railway that delivers for passengers, taxpayers and staff. As more operators come into public ownership, they said they will continue working with industry to ensure everyone that keeps the network safe and clean is valued and respected.They added that once established, GBR will decide how work is resourced to make sure passengers, freight users and taxpayers get the best value for money.