Last summer, Israel launched another deadly assault on Gaza. Over 2200 Palestinians were killed and tens of thousands are still homeless. Currently, people in Gaza are living amongst the rubble of their homes, without proper running water or electricity. One year on and the problems left by this assault are still visible. We want to […]
Conference motions
Conference notes human rights abuse perpetrated within the country of origin of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who make asylum applications in the United Kingdom (UK). Many of these countries are Commonwealth members with strong historical links to the UK. If returned to their homeland, there would be a good chance these […]
Since the disastrous election of a majority Tory Government in May 2015 the impact of public sector and welfare cuts has worsened for Black people. The Tories first budget has deepened austerity with more than 1.25 million Black households and 4 million Black people worse off under the range of budget measures that will have […]
Conference, the toxic debate on immigration has deep echoes of a past that never seems to leave us. The response of UNISON Black members’ is based on the lessons of the anti-racist movement and principals of self-organisation. It is said that poverty breeds fear which causes people to look for scapegoats. UKIP and its rhetoric […]
Conference, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) piloted a Race Equality Charter Mark with the aim to inspire a strategic approach to making cultural and systemic changes that will make a real difference to Black staff and students. The Charter covered: a)Professional and support staff b)Academic staff c)Student attainment, diversity of the curriculum and progression of […]
Our group has been campaigning for the last three years to challenge the English criteria demanded by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to allow overseas nurses to register. We have brought this motion to our own Regional Council and to Black Members Conference in previous years. Unfortunately, the criteria still remain: overseas nurses must […]
The statistic 1 in 4 people is often associated with Mental Health, in Black Communities the statistic also relates to the prevalence of Prostate Cancer in Black Men. The charity Prostate Cancer UK has carried out research which shows that 1 in 4 Black Men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. […]
Conference notes with concern that the TUC report “Living on the Margins”, published in March 2015, identified a 12.7% increase in the number of Black workers in low paid jobs between 2011 and 2014. 37.6% of Black workers are in occupations which are traditionally low paid and dominated by women – cleaning, care work and […]
This conference welcomes the decision by the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee to undertake an Inquiry into race, ethnicity and employment. Conference is particularly concerned about the high rate of Black youth unemployment. The Black community has always experienced high unemployment during previous recession. However, this recession has led to severe cuts in community led […]
Conference notes and welcomes the Scottish Government’s First Ministers proposal of the 50/50 by 2020 plan; a pledge on gender equality to make public appointments within public bodies more diverse. Conference believes that all public bodies should include board members who reflect British society – people from all walks of life; those with a vast […]
Conference, Sheku Bayoh originally from Sierra Leone, aged 31 years old, died on Sunday 3rd May, near Edinburgh, whilst in police custody. He was pronounced dead at an Edinburgh hospital just after 9am. Unsubstantiated reports state he was left unconscious after being arrested by at first four, and then a further five police officers, who […]
Conference, our worst fears were realised on Friday 8th May 2015 as we woke to find that the nightmare of the past 5 years would continue for the next 5, but this time under a small Tory Majority Government. Nearly 2 million people voted for the Conservative Party giving them a 12 seat majority. In […]
The number of race hate crimes have increased recently since the incidents in Tunisia and Syria. We all pay tribute to the families who have lost relatives in these senseless killings of innocent people. These acts have been deplored by all religious and political leaders, but the EDL and other right winged groups have exploited […]
Conference celebrates the fact the since the birth of UNISON self-organisation has had an essential role in the development and participation of Black members, women, Disabled people and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members. However, the majority of UNISON branches do not have their own local Self Organised Groups. One of the barriers to setting […]
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. This type of cancer usually develops slowly and for this reason, you may not see any signs that you have it for many years. Only men have a prostate it is a small gland about a size and shape of a walnut and […]