Speaking to UNISON’s rescheduled annual black workers’ conference being held in Brighton this weekend, general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Sunday).
“The success of Reform last Thursday will have taken many people by surprise. The party has been hoovering up support from voters who’ve lost faith with the two main political parties. There’s much to do to win back their support.
“Suggestions that staff working in equalities teams or on net zero policies in the ten local authorities now controlled by Reform might want to start looking for other jobs will have rung alarm bells.
“Andrea Jenkyns, the new mayor of Lincolnshire, says she wants the county council to have a leaner workforce. But she might want to check her job description. Staffing matters at the council aren’t within her remit. She’s not even a councillor.
“No matter what Nigel Farage or Andrea Jenkyns think, no one is above the law. The best protection anyone can have when faced with bad employers is to be in a strong union.
“The 600 plus Reform councillors elected last week are in for a shock. They’ve promised voters they’ll cut waste. But local authority finances are in a terrible state. After 14 years of Tory austerity, there’s nothing much left to cut.
“Now Reform will have to deliver local services, but I suspect most of its new councillors have no idea how local government works or indeed what it’s for.
“UNISON members will have voted for Reform. We need to convince them Reform isn’t the party for working people, public service workers or the essential services they help run.
“And that is going to be tough given some of the things the government has done. Cutting winter fuel payments, attacking benefits for disabled people, not giving justice to the WASPI women. All decisions UNISON has opposed.
“But much of what UNISON has been campaigning for is now happening. The Employment Rights Bill is a once-in-a-generation upgrade to rights at work.
“The fair pay agreement in social care. Action at long last being taken to give this long-overlooked sector the status it deserves.
“An end to zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire. Sick pay from day one. Care workers no longer having to go into work when they’re ill because they can’t afford to take time off.
“All of this opposed by the Tories and Reform. These policies wouldn’t have come about without a Labour government, or without UNISON campaigning.
“But whatever party is in power, there are unique challenges facing the union’s Black members in their workplaces.
“One of these issues is the ethnicity pay gap. It must end. It is a blatant reflection of racial inequality and has a huge impact on individuals and their families.
“The law must be changed so employers have to report their pay gaps and these disparities can be tackled.
“Racism at work still affects far too many people in the UK. Many employers are adopting UNISON’s anti-racism charter. But adoption is not enough. It’s results that are needed.
“The past year has seen an escalation in hate crimes and far right violence. The racist rioting and violence of last summer was utterly despicable.
“People were targeted solely because of the colour of their skin. Mosques were attacked and racist chants polluted the streets of many of our cities and towns. UNISON will continue to resist the far right with all our might.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Dan Ashley M: 07789 518992 E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk
The article Ethnicity pay gap must end, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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