- Conference
- 2018 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 21 September 2017
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
This Conference notes historical evidence from the TUC has shown that Black workers are reluctant to use the employer’s policies that are put in place to protect them and fear the ramifications as a result of reporting instances of bullying and discrimination.
In a UNISON survey from 2009, the evidence revealed that Black women employees are twice as likely to be bullied as their white colleagues. For example, 52 percent of Black Caribbean, 56 percent of Black Africans, and 51 percent of UK-born Black employees reported being bullied compared to 33 percent of white employees. This increased to 67 percent when those in the category ‘Black other’ was included. Workers within other ethnic groups have also experienced high levels of bullying.
This Conference calls upon the National Black Members’ Committee to:
1)Highlight the experience and impact that bullying has on Black workers including race discrimination as a means to putting race back on the political and public agenda.
2)Work with Regional Black Members Committees in producing guidance on how to reduce the bullying of Black workers in the workplace. The guidance needs to address how to deal with bullying early before it has escalated and become intolerable and stressful.
3)To liaise with other sections of the union to raise awareness that Black members should not fear the policies that are put in place to protect them and feel confident that the union will support them if they are suffering from any form of bullying.
4)Build and strengthen alliances with organisations campaigning on racial discrimination and harassment at work such as the Runnymede Trust, Voice4Change England, Race on the Agenda, Business in the Community and the Migrant Right Network.