Trade union leaders have penned an open letter to the UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, calling on him to reject the ‘insulting’ race report; and take action to end systemic racism at work.
The 33 trade union general secretaries want Johnson to “take a different path” to achieve race equality at work and in the labour market to that recommended in the report from the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities. The report has received huge criticism to date because of its failure to acknowledge institutional racism in the UK (as reported). Many of the consultants included in the report have also criticised; saying that the Commission ignored their testimonies/evidence.
FAILURE TO RECOGNISE SYSTEMIC INEQUALITIES
The trade union leaders said they were disappointed that the Race Commission failed to recognise the extent and impact of systemic inequalities, and institutional and structural racism in the workplace and wider society. Nor do they believe the report’s recommendations would make a meaningful positive difference to the working lives and careers of Black and Ethnic Minority workers.
“We hoped that the report would recommend action to stamp out insecure work and make employers act to close their ethnicity pay gaps. Instead, the Commission has chosen to deny the experiences of Black and Ethnic Minority workers and be complacent about the UK’s progress towards being an anti-racist society,” they noted.
The trade union movement says that it rejects the idea that defending working class interests and pushing for equality for Black and Minority Ethnic workers are opposed, noting that “today’s working class is multi-ethnic and multi-faith”. It highlighted that ethnic minority workers experience systemic inequalities across the labour market, which it believes is the result of “structural and institutional discrimination”.
STARK STATISTICS
The letter also provided statistics that demonstrate the impact of systemic inequalities in the UK, such as:
- Black and Ethnic Minority workers are over represented in lower paid, insecure jobs; and have to send 60% more job applications to be invited to interview. Currently, the unemployment rate for minorities is running at almost double that of White workers, as reported. And Black and Ethnic Minority workers in London, the region with the highest minority population, experience a 24% pay gap.
- Inequalities are compounded by the direct discrimination that Black and Ethnic Minority people face within workplaces. Around a quarter (24 %) said they had been singled out for redundancy; and one in seven (15 %) of those that had experienced racist harassment at work said they left their job as a result, as reported.
- During the pandemic, Black and Ethnic Minority workers are far more likely to be in frontline key roles such as education staff, health workers and delivery drivers. This has meant that they have been far more likely to be exposed to Covid-19 infection; and were three times more likely to die, as reported.
TRADE UNION RECOMMENDATIONS
The UK’s trade union movement said it “repudiates” the report, and hoped that “Ministers will reflect on the inadequacies of the report of the Commission for Racial Disparities, recognise the insult it has offered to Black and Minority Ethnic workers, and pick a different path”. It recommends that Ministers should instead implement in full the recommendations of previous reports, including McGregor-Smith (employment), Lammy (criminal justice), Williams (Windrush), Angiolini (deaths in custody, Parker (FTSE100 boards), and Marmot (health inequalities).
The trade union leaders said they would “continue to fight for decent wages, fair treatment and an end to exploitation for all working people,” and “stand firm in identifying and opposing direct and indirect racism at work”.
LETTER SIGNATORIES
The following trade union leaders signed the letter:
- Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary
- Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary, NASUWT and Chair of the TUC Anti Racism Taskforce
- Gloria Mills, Chair, TUC Race Relations Committee
- Gail Cartmail, President, Trades Union Congress
- Len McCluskey, General Secretary, Unite
- Christina McAnea, General Secretary, UNISON
- Warren Kenny, Acting General Secretary, GMB
- Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary, NEU
- Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary, NEU
- Paddy Lillis, General Secretary, Usdaw
- Dave Ward, General Secretary, CWU
- Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, PCS
- Mike Clancy, General Secretary, Prospect
- Dr Jo Grady, General Secretary, University and College Union
- Karen Middleton, Chief Executive, CSP
- Matt Wrack, General Secretary, Fire Brigades Union
- Michelle Stanistreet, General Secretary, National Union of Journalists
- Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary, Community
- Steve Gillan, General Secretary, POA
- Paul Whiteman, General Secretary, NAHT
- Tim Rose, General Secretary, Nationwide Group Staff Union
- Manuel Cortes, General Secretary, Transport Salaries Staffs’ Association
- Ian Lawrence, General Secretary, NAPO
- Steve Jamieson, General Secretary, The College of Podiatry
- Zita Holbourne, Joint National Chair, Artists’ Union England
- Claudia Paoloni, President, Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association
- Andy Burman, CEO, British Dietetic Association
- Mark Dickinson, General Secretary, Nautilus International
- Kate Fallon, General Secretary, Association of Educational Psychologists
- Chris Kitchen, General Secretary, NUM
- Horace Trubridge, General Secretary, Musicians’ Union
- Brian Linn, General Secretary, Aegis the Union
- Sarah Woolley, General Secretary, BFAWU
Click here to see a copy of the full letter.
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