- Conference
- 2014 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 1 October 2013
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes the Con Dem Coalition’s welfare reforms agenda has forced public services and the voluntary sector to significantly reduce their workforce in the name of efficiency savings. Presently there is insufficient information to show the disproportionate impact on black workers and their communities. Alongside this, there is evidence from many workplaces showing that training and development budgets have been significantly slashed. Repeated management reorganisation and restructure is another stressor that Black workers have to deal with on a daily basis.
This has left many black workers, who are often denied personal development opportunities, delivering services with limited regard to their wellbeing, health and safety. Increased lone working is a concern for black workers who face an additional risk of hate crime and harassment. This is particularly true of the many Black women who work in home care, and who encounter racial prejudice on a regular basis, but who have no witness to such behaviour. Black workers employed in housing face an increased risk of harassment as they are blamed for the shortage in housing and myths circulating around policies imposed by the Con Dem Coalition. We have experience of residents alleging that Muslim households are exempt from bedroom tax on religious grounds and other untruths.
We ask the National Black Members Committee:
1)To initiate and carry out a survey amongst black members that are employed in front line services to ascertain whether the changes in Welfare Benefits, Welfare Reforms is having an adverse effect upon their wellbeing, health and safety at work
2)Use evidence gained from the survey to suggest recommendations that can improve the work/life balance of black members
3)Identify ways that employers can be shamed and named where they are employing unfair and discriminatory practices towards black members or failing to respond adequately to allegations of racial harassment from staff.