Conference notes: a)The findings of the 2005 “Count Me In” census in England and the following censuses that people from Black Caribbean, Black African and other Black backgrounds are over represented in psychiatric care. b)The report by Care Quality Commission published in 2010 that found that 23% of mental health inpatients were from Black communities […]
Conference motions
Many of our fellow migrant workers, who are registered nurses in their own country, have been working here as care assistants because they did not obtain the results required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for their English (IELTS) test (i.e. 7 in each section). The results required are of a very high standard– […]
Conference notes the Con Dem Coalition’s welfare reforms agenda has forced public services and the voluntary sector to significantly reduce their workforce in the name of efficiency savings. Presently there is insufficient information to show the disproportionate impact on black workers and their communities. Alongside this, there is evidence from many workplaces showing that training […]
The results from the 2011 Census showed that in England and Wales approximately 14% of the population identified as non white. This is a rise from the 2001 Census figure of 7.9%. The Census results also revealed the greater dispersal of Black people across the UK. This changing demographic across the UK, coupled with a […]
Black women are oppressed by both racism and sexism, so face a double strand of oppression in society as a whole. Violence against women and girls is the most widespread form of abuse in the world. Globally, one in three women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime. Statistics reveal the levels of violence […]
Conference, since the coalition have taken power there has been mass redundancies, with many jobs being frozen and those who have survived are facing massive attacks on pay and conditions and threats of zero hour contracts. Black workers appear to be disproportionately affected by this. Government figures suggest there are approximately 250,000 people on zero […]
Conference, the 1999 McPherson report uncovered deep rooted institutional racism within the Metropolitan Police Force. In the aftermath of this report the police were forced to review stop and search practices, as these were a very obvious manifestation of police prejudice. However, recent years have seen police forces return to their old ways. The figures […]
Conference notes that in the UK there are 168 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Research conducted by the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) reports that Black people represents 8.6 per cent of higher education academic staff and 6.9 per cent of professional support staff. Conference is aware that in the UK the Higher Education context has changed […]
Conference notes that Higher Education has expanded in the past decade with a 28% increase in the number of students from all domiciles (Universities UK, 2011). The expansion is partly the result of a greater number of students from ethnic backgrounds going to university. Yet in spite of the increase in Higher Education Initial Participation […]
Conference notes with alarm that there has been a significant drop in the reporting of Hate Crime to the relevant authorities in the last few years. Conference also notes that there has been an escalating attack on Mosques, Muslim shops, Muslim people and their families, yet this is not covered in the legislation as a […]
The coalitions government’s ongoing austerity measures, cuts to jobs and public services, pay freezes in the public sector, privatisation, low pay, lack of socially affordable housing, the bedroom tax, rent increases, and zero hour contracts are all key elements in the current drastic reduction of living standards experienced by Black workers and Black communities since […]
Migrant workers continue to be extremely vulnerable to race discrimination and false allegations of abuse from patients / care home residents and their families. They are also less likely to have colleagues coming forward as supportive witnesses. While UNISON already supports its members from overt racist discrimination from an employer, there is not always a […]
Conference is extremely alarmed by the CONDEM Government intention to make legislative requirement for the UK Landlords to check the immigration status of all prospective Tenants from 2014. Conference is concerned that Landlords will be required by Law to request evidence from the prospective tenants and their families, friends, and any other person (s) living […]
Conference believes in the importance of Black LGBT activism within UNISON at branch, regional and national level and notes that encouraging this and breaking down any barriers is an important organising issue. Recruitment and training can play a crucial role in increasing Black LGBT participation. Black LGBT members have vital contributions to make to ensuring […]
Conference condemns the head-long cuts programme of the Tory-led coalition government. Conference notes that their ideology-driven austerity agenda – which they publicly claim is for the sake of our economy – is in fact standing in the way of delivering the jobs and growth that we need. Conference welcomes UNISON’s exposure of this government’s failings […]