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Welcoming UNISON’s Year of Black Workers, the general secretary said: “Our union is stronger because of our Black members”

October 2022 marked the 25th Anniversary of Lakhvinder ‘Ricky’ Reel’s death. Ricky, a 20-year-old student, and his friends were the victims of a racist attack in London. His body was later pulled from the Thames. Ricky’s mother, Sukhdev Reel says “Ricky had everything to live for. He was on a work placement in Central London, […]

We are delighted to announce that Carol Sewell has won the 2023 Nelson Mandela Award. Carol says “In my early retirement year, I am so blessed. I couldn’t believe that I was chosen. It is a great honour to accept this award from the National Black Members Committee and I would like to thank everyone […]

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on Black workers and communities and it is vital to focus on challenging racism in the workplace

The phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ was seen across our screens and streets following the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. Black communities asked society and organisations like UNISON, what they would do to tackle racism and discrimination head on. There is a need to demonstrate with actions how we are committed to being an anti-racist […]

24 year-old Chris Kaba was killed following a police car pursuit on 5 September which ended in South London. An inquest into Mr Kaba’s death will be opened on 4 October. In a statement the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it would “explore all of the circumstances surrounding the unarmed father-to-be, including whether […]

We were delighted to be back sponsoring Sunshine International Art at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival. Our presence has been a proud tradition of community engagement over several years. The Notting Hill Carnival is Europe’s largest street festival which takes place annually in London the last weekend in August. The Carnival celebrates London’s multicultural past […]

All Black workers face racial oppression. Whilst each Black worker may experience racism, discrimination, and oppression differently, unity within and between Black workers creates greater power to confront the ills of racism. To achieve this, we must reconceptualise power and unity and broaden our reach in the context of our search for fair and equal […]

The 2022 Virtual Black Members’ Conference took place on 27 – 28 May, rescheduled from a physical conference in January due to the pandemic. This year’s theme was Black Members United and Empowered. As the conference was inquorate, delegates voted to suspend Standing Orders. This meant that the debates to follow would not form a […]

UNISON’s National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC) and Schools Committee have issued a joint statement on the treatment of Child Q and the actions of those involved in the case. “UNISON are horrified to learn of the strip search of a young Black female (Child Q) of secondary school age, at the hands of the police […]

About the Ethnicity Pay Gap Campaign The Ethnicity Pay Gap (EPG) cost Black workers over £3.2 billion in lost wages in 2018 (Resolution Foundation). This gap is getting wider. The Ethnicity Pay varies across regions and sectors. In London the gap is over 23.8 per cent.  The impact of this loss of pay pushes Black […]

Do you know a Black member, under 27 who should be nominated for the Young Black Member Award? We are looking for branches and regions to nominate young Black members who are active in the union, dedicated to race equality and passionate about improving workplaces. Download the Young Black Member Award nomination form This award […]

Many members will be aware that Nelson Mandela was an honorary member of UNISON. In his lifetime he received over 260 awards including the Nobel Peace Prize. To honour his achievements, the National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC) present the Nelson Mandela Award each year to a Black member who has gone above and beyond. If […]

Challenging Racism in the Workplace is vital to UNISON’s work, whether it involves bargaining and negotiating for members; growing our membership; challenging pay freezes, reorganisations and redundancies or organising our member around campaigns that matter most to them. UNISON’s Black members have many of the same concerns as any other member regarding access to employment, […]

Our Motions to National Delegate Conference (NDC) The National Black Members’ Committee submitted two motions to NDC: Motion 9 – National Executive Council & Rule Book Commitment to Fair Representation Motion 118 – Immigration Advice and Black Members If you are attending conference, please think about speaking on these important motions. The full text of […]