- Conference
- 2015 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 4 September 2014
- Decision
- Carried
At the Discrimination Law Conference in January 2014 Professor Sir Bob Hepple QC said that “if a new government enacts only one new piece of equality legislation it should be to require equality representatives at workplaces” – such reps would require a legal right to time off to “be involved in drawing up and enforcing employment and pay equity plans”.
Currently Black Members’ Officers, have no legal right to time off to undertake their trade union equality duties. The TUC argued in a 2005 that trade union equality reps should be given the same statutory rights as learning reps – paid time off for training and for undertaking their role. Training included developing the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence to undertake the role effectively and capacity building for effective engagement with employers. Black Members Officers should be able to get time off to undertaken this training and development but many are struggling to get the necessary time off.
TUC research published in 2010 concluded that a key factor in equality reps effectiveness was the amount of time they were able to spend on their duties and without a statutory right that time was limited. The research reported that equality reps greatly enhance employers’ equality work and have a positive impact in the workplace. There was evidence of employers support with one saying “It is in our interests to develop competent equality reps.”
The TUC research also found that ‘equality reps are more likely than other union reps to be from an ethnic minority’ suggesting that the role can attract Black trade union members into activity. The concern is that the difficulties of obtaining time off to train for, and undertake the role, act as a disincentive to this.
This matter is especially important for UNISON given that a significant proportion of our members are Black people. The lack of equality facility time is therefore directly discriminatory and is also indirectly discriminatory in that Black women’s time is heavily pressurised due to caring responsibilities.
Four years of the coalition government and its austerity policies have significantly increased workplace inequality and concerns about racial discrimination. The lack of equalities facility time seriously impairs Black activist’s abilities to challenge discrimination against Black workers in the workplace – it is becoming a 2nd class matter for better days. The implicit – if not explicit – perception is that race equality is not as important as other TU issues.
Now more than ever race equality should be centre stage. The inequitable effects of the austerity policies need tackling:
a) How zero hour contracts affect Black workers;
b) Segregation of Black workers into low pay jobs and the need for a living wage;
c) Employer sickness absence monitoring resulting in ‘survival of the fittest’;
and the particular impact on Black workers:
d) Effect of the increase in stress and mental ill health on Black workers;
e) Disproportionate redundancies affecting Black workers.
Conference requests the National Black Members Committee to:
1)Discuss facility time for Black Members officers with the TUC with a view to raising it with the next government;
2)Work with Labour Link to influence the next labour Government to extend facility time to Black Members Officers.