- Conference
- 2015 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 16 September 2014
- Decision
- Carried
There is a high proportion of Black workers in the care and support sector. Black workers disproportionately face job losses, downgrading and cuts in hours.
In addition to this, care workers working with individuals with learning difficulties and dementia are at a higher risk of suffering from violence and abuse at work. Some of whom find it very difficult to report these incidents for fear of losing their jobs.
In a survey by Skills for Care on support workers in 2013 it found that under reporting was a major issue. Black staff are continually given the impression that suffering abuse is simply part of the job. Under reporting is a real issue due to their lack of awareness of organisations policies and procedures and fear of losing of their job.
In 2013 Unison survey of healthcare assistants found that 85% of the participants were verbally abused whilst 20% had been exposed to actual physical violence at work. Many of those interviewed were thinking of leaving the profession as they felt that their jobs were neither appreciated nor respected by those in authority.
We therefore call on the National Black Members Committee to work with the NEC to:
1)Explore and discuss how we can encourage Black members to routinely report issues of abuse.
2)Explore increasing training for members on the issue of violence at work and how to combat this.
3)Develop a campaign highlighting the violence at work and how to combat this issue.