- Conference
- 2011 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 6 September 2010
- Decision
- Carried
Conference, 2010 is the tenth anniversary of the EU’s adoption of the Race Equality Directive – and yet throughout Europe there has been an alarming rise in racist rhetoric, the targeting of Black communities and migrant communities as well as the exploitation of racism by some European Governments to deflect public attention from recession and budget cuts, with crackdowns on immigration, increasing rhetoric around national identities and cultural assimilation.
Added to this will be the devastating impact of the economic crisis and damaging cuts in public services which will have a disproportionate effect on Black communities throughout Europe.
It has enabled the far right to make incursions into the mainstream, including fascist parties sending representatives to the European parliament from countries ranging from the UK (BNP), France (Front National), Belgium (Vlaams Belang), Hungary (Jobbik), Italy (Liga Nord), Denmark (Danish People’s Party), Netherlands (The Freedom Party) and Austria (The Freedom Party). However, it is not confined to electoral successes for fascist parties but has also influenced the terms of debate undertaken by ‘moderate’ parties, particularly with regards to migrants.
The impact of the immigration debate and the negative portrayal of migrants and Black by politicians, policy-makers and the mass media – through stereotypical language and negative images – have led to a worrying increase in racism and xenophobia towards third country nationals irrespective of status and/or nationality.
A 2007 European Commission report on ‘Ethnic minorities in the Labour Market’ showed that ethnic minorities continued to face higher rates of exclusion from the labour market, lower pay and problems exercising freedom of movement within the EU.
Recent research published in 2008 by IZA (Institute for the Study of Labour, based in Bonn) of Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom showed that racism was the most significant reason for the inequality experienced by Black people within Europe and that it continues to have a substantial effect on Black people’s employment prospects and labour market experiences.
European Network against Racism’s (ENAR) 2008 Shadow Report on racism in Europe concludes that Black people face discrimination at all levels in the field of employment, ranging from difficulties in the recognition of foreign qualifications to exploitation and abuse, including sexual and physical, in some cases. Minorities remain disproportionately affected by unemployment and employment under precarious and/or dangerous conditions. They tend to be employed in jobs that do not reflect their qualifications and to face a glass ceiling effect with regard to progression within the job.
ENAR also reports an increase in racist violence and crime including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg and the UK.
The EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s 2008 EU-Midis survey of minorities’ experiences of discrimination shows that racist crime continues to be under-reported, under-recorded and under-prosecuted by law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. One in five Roma and Sub-Saharan African respondents indicated that they had been the victim of a racially/ethnically motivated assault, threat or harassment in the last 12 months.
Issues of racism and race inequality throughout Europe require a collective response and European trade union forums should be used to raise this issue on the agenda.
Conference therefore, calls upon the National Black Members Committee to work with:
1.The National Executive Council and the International Committee to make this issue a priority within UNISON’s work.
2.The National Executive Council to actively engage with its sister unions, European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on racism and in particular with those unions with whom we have signed co-operation agreements, such as Verdi in Germany and CGT in France.
3.Regional Black Members’ groups to raise awareness of this issue and include it in their work programmes.