- Conference
- 2023 National Black Members’ Conference
- Date
- 21 September 2022
- Decision
- Carried
Conference reaffirms that:
1)In employers across our service groups Black members are facing job losses, impaired access to training, discrimination, bullying and restricted career development;
2)For too long employers have made public commitments to tackle race discrimination but have failed to convert words into action;
3)The best way to deliver race equality in public services is for Black workers to join UNISON and then lead the union’s negotiations with the ;
4)Black members self-organisation exists to create space and opportunities to identify their own priority issues and the best ways to deliver progress.
Conference congratulates the work of Black Members in the Eastern Region who worked to create an Anti-Racism Charter which was launched on the UN Day for Elimination of Racism in March 2022. Since then, employers including councils, NHS Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, police forces and Further Education Colleges have signed the Charter.
The charter contains a clear list of actions for employers to work on that will address issues of institutionalised racism. Once an employer signs the charter, the branch is provided additional support on how to ensure that the employer delivers on their commitments.
Conference instructs the National Black Members Committee to
a)Circulate the charter to all regional Black Members’ Groups;
b)Use all communication channels at its disposal to encourage Black members to become active in their union;
c)Write to all branch secretaries and remind them that Black members should always be involved – if not lead – negotiating and bargaining on race equality issues and on all other issues where a Black member is deemed part of the senior negotiating team such as Branch Chair or Branch Secretary;
d)Put the charter to the General Secretary to initiate the introduction, acknowledgement and authorisation of the charter to be implemented throughout UNISON.