MOTION 4: How do we ensure ongoing legacy of Year of the Black Workers

EAST MIDLANDS: REGIONAL BLACK MEMBERS NETWORK MOTION 4: How do we ensure ongoing legacy of Year of the Black Workers In 2023 we celebrated Year of the Black Workers across our union and we thank the National Black Members Committee for all their efforts on our behalf. So many Regions did not have access to […]

BLACK CHILDREN MENTAL HEALTH

It was reported in 2022 via a leaked National Health Service (NHS) report that Black youth and Black individuals in general were being failed by the system. They now make up 11 per cent of the population however 36 per cent of individuals detained in the highest level units are Black, with limited access to […]

Destimatising Black Workers’ Mental Health Illness

Conference notes barriers faced by Black people when accessing information and treatment for mental health care. Black communities are more likely to experience stigma and shame due to negative stereotyping and attitudes of rejection around mental health awareness. In our region, Black individuals are significantly affected due to racism, discrimination and cultural insensitivity. Work-related stress […]

The history of Black women in the union movement

The history of Black women’s involvement in the union in the UK is an extended, valuable and greatly inspiring one, yet the narratives of Black women activists have often been wiped away or minimised. Black women have long led the way in organising strategies and mobilising communities in the fight against racism and justice for […]

Trans rights and the Labour Party

Conference notes that comments made by Keir Starmer on 28 October in a Mumsnet interview regarding trans youth healthcare have caused significant concern In response to a question from a Mumsnet user about the interim report by Dr Hilary Cass on the provision of trans youth healthcare, Starmer focussed on the idea of consent, saying: […]

Young Black workers and the cost of living crisis

Conference notes that the cost of living in the UK has surged to crisis levels, with increasing energy prices, food prices and housing costs, against a background of wages which over the past decade have not kept pace with inflation. Conference further notes the specific impact of the cost of living crisis on Black workers. […]

The impact of the cost-of-living rise on Black low paid workers

The current cost-of-living crisis affects everyone especially given the huge rise in energy prices, but there is evidence that the impact will be disproportionately felt by those who are already struggling to make ends meet and particularly Black members who are over-represented in low wage jobs and often with limited career progression. Research conducted with […]

Eliminating racism in Scottish sport

“25th July 2022, Scottish Cricket was found to have caused systemic discrimination and racism over many years, in a report by Plan4Sport called Changing The Boundaries. They found the governance and leadership practices of Cricket Scotland to be institutionally racist. It confirms 448 examples that demonstrated institutional racism. Reoccurring themes were mapped against 31 indicators […]

Cost of living impact on mental illness in Black workers

This Conference notes that Black communities continue to experience complex factors that significantly and adversely affect their mental health. The recent cost of living crisis is impacting significantly on Black members across the country. Black communities are already more likely to experience distressing events that affect them adversely due to racism, discrimination and inequity affecting […]

Black workers and non-apparent impairments

Conference notes that many employers still refuse to accept a worker is disabled and entitled to reasonable adjustments unless their impairment is obvious. However many impairments are not immediately apparent. Black people disproportionately experience impairments such as lupus, diabetes and sickle cell and thalassemia which are impairments that aren’t always obvious to other people. Some […]

Securing the legacy of the Year of Disabled Workers – an intersectional approach

Conference notes that 2022 was UNISON’s very successful Year of Disabled Workers. UNISON takes an intersectional approach to fighting for disability equality in the workplace and many of our Black disabled members have taken key roles in delivering some of the work undertaken in 2022, from leading webinars and events to agreeing new guidance and […]

Oppose the Nationality and Borders Act 2022

This Conference notes: 1)· The Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) become law on 28 June 2022; 2)· The government’s continuing plans for offshore detention in Rwanda, and the Care4Calais and PCS union legal challenge that contributed to the halting of the first planned flight taking detained refugees to Rwanda; 3)That the case was is currently […]

Solidarity with the people of Yemen and Yemeni trade unions

National Black Members Conference notes that the war in Yemen is in its eighth year and continues to lead to an ongoing humanitarian disaster. We further note evidence of attacks upon trade unionists in Yemen. We believe that UNISON and other UK trade unions should respond to the crisis in Yemen with the same urgency […]

Equality is UNISON business

Conference notes that one of UNISON’s main aims is, as per UNISON’s Rule Book, “to seek to ensure equality of treatment and fair representation for all members and to work for the elimination of discrimination on grounds of race, gender, sexuality, gender identity, disability, age or creed”. To achieve this, UNISON seeks for branches to […]

Detention of refugees, asylum seekers and others without their status in the UK

Conference condemns the continued political and physical attacks on refugees, asylum seekers and others without their status in the UK many of whom are UNISON Black Members. Conference accepts that many people, even with the right to work, are often in precarious situations due to their immigration status. Conference notes indefinite immigration detention in the […]