Tracy Gilbert – Usdaw Regional Secretary for Scotland says: “The labour market in Scotland as elsewhere remains stacked against Black workers. The race pay gap is widening, alongside Black workers being over-represented in insecure jobs and are twice as likely to be unemployed. That is not the world of work we want to see. Structural and institutional racism in Scottish society means that, despite having the same education and skills, Black workers are more likely to be in low paid work or unemployed.
“Despite five decades of race equality law, Scotland, together with the rest of the UK, has a serious problem with racism. In the workplace black workers are more likely to experience bullying and harassment, be unfairly criticised and given more challenging or less popular tasks. Black workers are less likely to be promoted, developed or get access to training.
“To make progress on race equality we need governments, employers and trade unions to develop a collective and pre-emptive response to tackling racism at work. Our movement has a duty to take the lead in rooting out racism wherever it exists. We need to take action to ensure that Black members are leading the work of our unions; holding employers and government to account as we seek to win a better deal for Black members.”
Usdaw is seeking the support of Congress delegates in asking the STUC to support and promote the work they are doing to:
- Put race equality front and centre of national and local bargaining and campaigning agendas
- Urge employers to gather evidence of where Black workers are in their organisations, share this with unions and take collaborative positive action to prevent racism.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades
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