Does institutional racism exist in the workplace?
The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has launched its report on racial and ethnic disparities in the UK. The Commission was asked to conduct a detailed, data-led examination of inequality across the entire population, and to set out a positive agenda for change.
The report seeks to approach the issues of racial and ethnic disparities in a balanced way, highlighting both the success stories that the data revealed as well as delving into what lies beneath some of the most persistent and enduring issues. In a statement the Commission said:
“The facts and analysis we presented challenge a number of strongly held beliefs about the nature and extent of racism in Britain today. We have never said that racism does not exist in society or in institutions. We say the contrary: racism is real and we must do more to tackle it. That is why our very first recommendation to the government is to challenge racist and discriminatory action and increase funding to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to pursue investigations. We reaffirm the Macpherson definition of institutional racism, though we did not find conclusive evidence that it exists in the areas we examined. However, we said that both the reality and the perception of unfairness matter, which is why our recommendations are underpinned by four themes – to build trust, promote fairness, create agency and to achieve inclusivity.
“This is a wide-ranging report, and we hope it will lead to further research and better understanding of the complex causes of inequalities in the UK. We hope that going forward, the report will be read carefully and considered in the round. Our experience since publication only reinforces the need for informed debate on race based on mutual respect. The 24 recommendations we have made will, in our view, greatly improve the lives of millions of people for the better if they are all implemented.”
The report hasn’t been well received by all. Commenting on its publication, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“Institutional and structural racism exists in the UK, in both the labour market and wider society. Black and minority ethnic workers are far more likely than white workers to be in low-paid, insecure jobs – such as temporary and agency jobs or zero hours contracts. And black and minority ethnic workers have been far more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 infection and far more likely to die – because they are far more likely to be in frontline roles.
“This is institutional racism. And it traps too many black and minority ethnic workers in poverty, insecurity and low pay. We hoped that the Commission would recommend action to stamp out insecure work and make employers act to close their ethnicity pay gaps. Instead, the Commission has chosen to deny the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic workers and be complacent about the UK’s progress towards being an anti-racist society.“The TUC calls on politicians of all parties to stand with black and minority ethnic workers and commit to ending institutional racism in the UK labour market and society – starting with bringing in mandatory ethnicity pay gap action plans and banning zero hours contracts.”
Zero hours contracts allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work. Employees work only when they are needed, often at short notice. Their pay depends on how many hours they work.
UNISON has said that it is “disappointed” in the report, which said that, while the UK is not yet a “post-racial country,” it had found no evidence of structural racism in the country.
UNISON commented that there have been questions about the suitability of the chairman of the commission, Dr Tony Sewell, and head of the Number 10 policy unit Munira Mirza, who was involved in setting it up, as both have previously questioned the existence of institutional/structural racism.
Margaret Greer, UNISON National Officer for Race Equality, said:
“Urgent action is required to tackle the deep-seated and systemic discrimination that leads to inequality between people of different ethnic backgrounds in public sector workforces. Ask someone who denies institutional racism to set up a commission to investigate race disparity. Appoint someone as chair who denies institutional racism. They do an in-depth investigation. Guess what they find? Institutional racism doesn’t exist.”
Noting that “equality is not a competition,” Ms Greer said that action was needed to:
- Tackle the ethnicity pay gap;
- Provide proper resourcing and stronger enforcement powers for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC); and
- End the ‘hostile environment’.
Ms Greer added:
“The commission had an opportunity to show strong leadership and produce a clear strategy to tackle racial inequality, with a plan of action and measurable and timely targets. It has failed to do that in this report and this is a lost opportunity all round. It’s time that the government demonstrated a political will to act – we are disappointed that this has not materialised.”
She said that UNISON will ensure black staff are involved in strategies to tackle ethnic disparities, for fair employment outcomes and an end to institutional racism.
Download the full report here.
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