Usdaw has a delegation of black members attending the conference, which starts on Friday 12 April and runs through to Sunday at Congress House in London.
 
Paddy Lillis - Usdaw General Secretary says: “Tackling discrimination is a fundamental trade union principle and the Black Workers’ Conference is an important contribution to us vigorously opposing racism and promoting race equality in the workplace. We send our fraternal greetings to all delegates and wish them well in their deliberations.
 
“Austerity has had a disproportionate and adverse effect on black workers, their families and communities. Black workers are over-represented in low paying, insecure, temporary and short hours jobs. Black workers are also more likely to rely on the safety net of social security, a safety net that the Tory Government is intent on dismantling. 
 
“Austerity together with attacks on trade unions and the undermining of collective bargaining has led to a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the workplace. We need to renew the agenda to challenge the disproportionate impact of austerity on black workers and re-emphasise the crucial role collective bargaining plays in delivering greater equality in the workplace.”
 
Notes for editors:
  
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 420,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion