Delegates at UNISON’s national community conference heard about the need to empower Black activists and workers to challenge right-wing ideologies and stand up to racism in all its forms.
Conference heard from those living in communities affected by the riots that occurred in 2024, a result of deliberate misrepresentation and false information orchestrated by far-right actors targeting asylum seekers and minoritised communities.
A motion was agreed to actively promote continuous training, development, awareness raising and capacity building, “towards forging a strong, resilient anti-racist movement within our community sector membership.”
The service group executive will work in partnership with organisations such as Show Racism the Red Card and Hope Not Hate to highlight successful training initiatives.
The issues of racism, lack of representation and lack of career progression for Black workers across the charity sector was also discussed.
A motion outlined how the lack of opportunity for Black workers in senior leadership roles not only limits the sector’s ability to serve diverse communities, but contradicts its stated values of equality and representation.
According to reports by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACVEO), the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), Charity So White and others, Black representation within the highest levels of charity leadership remains alarmingly underrepresented.
Charity So White has documented the instances of racial discrimination and micro-aggressions within the charity workplace. Its research highlights how institutional biases, exclusion from decision-making, and a lack of mentorship hinders Black professionals, including UNISON’s Black members, from progressing into leadership roles.
The community service group will now engage with the UK government and relevant sector authorities, including the Charity Commission, to mandate the publication of ethnicity pay gap data and breakdowns of leadership roles by ethnicity.
It will also advocate for mentorship programmes and leadership training tailored for Black staff within the charity sector.
Following a speech from UNISON head of social care Gavin Edwards, on the horrific treatment of migrant social care workers, delegates also agreed on further work to develop the the union’s migrant workers network across the community sector and the wider union.
The article Community conference challenges racism and discrimination first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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