The Issue of Racism in the Twentieth Century

Conference notes the recent BBC programme blowing the whistle by extremists among Greater Manchester Police recruits. A member of one of the Manchester Local Authority equal opportunity forums indicated that he was horrified that one of the forums had not met in over a year at a time when equal opportunities and race issues are […]

Asserting Rights Under Race Relations Act(s)

Text removed for legal reasons

Facility Time Off for Self-Organised Group Members

Currently members are finding it extremely difficult to attend and be actively involved in UNISON. Members have been continuously forced to take annual leave or flexi-time off for UNISON activities. Let us not have a separatist union of Them and Us. If UNISON is serious about equality then it should follow its own equality policies, […]

Institutional Racism:Learning from Experience

Conference welcomes the publication of the report Cyclonic Organisation Authority, Culture and Racism by Lambeth Council and of the report of the Lambeth Scrutiny Commission on Racism. We note that UNISON co-operated in the publication of both of these reports, which highlighted the problem of institutional racism in Lambeth Council. Conference further welcomes the decision […]

Racism in UNISON

Conference believes all UNISON branches must have clear and transparent policies on equal opportunity and self-organisation groups firmly written into their branch rules. 1)National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC) and National Executive Council (NEC) to endorse the above recommendations with a growing need to tackle racial discrimination or any other form of discrimination within UNISON. 2)To […]

The British National Party

Conference notes that UNISON is the biggest public sector union with more than one million members, with membership density being concentrated in health and local government – two public services that play a key roles in the lives of all citizens. UNISON therefore has a vital responsibility to work to tackle racism and the attitudes […]

The Rise of the BNP

Black members and black communities are deeply concerned about the rise of the Bristish National Party (BNP) and the election of the BNP to seventeen local authority seats in various parts of the country. Black members are extremely concerned that those charged with mounting effective campaigns against the BNP appear to be sticking to a […]

TUPE

Conference is concerned about the problems linked to complaints about racism in the workplace and the delays in addressing those complaints because employers seek to flout their responsibilities under the TUPE regulations. More public services are being transferred out of local authority control and as a result staff are now finding themselves based in the […]

Employment Rights

Conference is concerned about the proposed changes to Employment Tribunal practices, which have prompted UNISON to consider changes to its own criteria for supporting race complaints. Currently, UNISON supports race complaints to tribunals using a more than 50 per cent chance of success baseline. This baseline is currently under review with likelihood that UNISON will […]

Inclusivity

To promote a more cohesive and inclusive relationship between black members in the regions and the National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC), Conference instructs the NBMC to: 1)prioritise the action plan for the following 12 months, based on the motions passed at the National Black Members Conference at the first meeting of the newly elected NBMC; […]

Promoting Equality Increasing National Black Members’ Committee Motions to National Delegate Conference

Conference notes that since the formation of UNISON vesting day self-organised groups have been enabled to send two motions to our union’s sovereign decision-making body, its National Delegate Conference, which takes place annually every June. Conference, the National Black Members’ Committee feels that in order for self-organised groups to be more effective at UNISON’s National […]

Racism in UNISON

The recent revelation at the 2003 National Delegate Conference, that UNISON members had voted for the BNP and in effect had supported the election of BNP candidates into local authority seats has rocked the confidence of black members in this union. In Yorkshire & Humberside we have tried to raise the issue of racism in […]

Industrial Decline and Growth of Racist and Fascist Attitudes

Conference notes that in the last two to three decades the social reality has changed drastically. Heavy industries have suffered a meltdown, whole region become de-industrialised, and traditional working and social environments have changed radically. This has led to a growth in social exclusion and had a damaging effect on community cohesion. At the same […]

National Black Members’ Conference to be Held in November Each Year

The Scottish Region notes with grave concern at the loss of opportunity to hold its annual delegate’s conference in the year 2003. It notes that while other self organised groups had the opportunity of producing policies for their national committees to operate on, the National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC) is disadvantaged in getting the policies […]

Fighting the BNP

Conference notes: 1) the failure of the Nazi BNP to win a single seat in the North East of England in the last round of elections, despite devoting massive resources to the area; 2) the BNP stood a candidate in all 25 wards in Sunderland and failed to win a single seat; 3) in subsequent […]