October celebrates Black History, to reflect on Black British culture, and the contribution that Black people have made to the UK over many generations. Black people continue to play a significant role in British society, not only in terms of the economy, but also in terms of a diverse and vibrant culture.
UNISON’s Black members have the same concerns as any other member about jobs, fair pay and conditions of service, promotion and progression, but their experience of the workplace is too often also marked by racism and discrimination.
Challenging racism in the workplace is part of UNISON’s core work on race equality, using the collective power of our union to tackle discrimination. We want to move away from dealing with racism on an individual basis in favour of a more collective approach.
As a trade union, UNISON recognises all members and activists work and contributions to improve the working lives and defend the rights of our members; but we must ensure that we also remember our legacy of not only what we do in our trade union and the labour movement but also of our different cultures and diversity across the globe.
UNISON rightly remembers and celebrates those who have helped forge the legacy and hopefully will inspire us to continue to strive for achievements that benefit us and our members.
The timeline below takes you back 100 years of Black Trade Unionism in Britain, to 1916 – the first African Students Union in Britain was formed to oppose racism and colonialism.