Powerful Anti-Racism Debate Opens UNISON Health Conference

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UNISONs National Health Conference opened in Bournemouth today (Monday) with a heated debate on the continued fight against racism in the NHS.

The Challenge Racism in the NHS motion, noted that data from the NHS Workforce Race Equalities Standard (WRES) continues to show higher levels of black workers experiencing harassment, intimidation and abuse at the hands of the staff and patients, than their white colleagues.

Black workers also have less access to training and career opportunities than white workers and are more likely to be disciplined.

As one conference delegate put it: Racism is rife in the NHS.

Marking 2023 as the UNISON Year of the Black Worker, delegates discussed ways to combat this institutional racism.

Moving the motion, Peter Oates from the Eastern Region (pictured below) said: The fight against racism is at the center of all our work as activists. We see racism happening in all major employers, and it will continue where it goes unchallenged. So we have to keep talking.

It is everyone’s responsibility to challenge racism, it is not just on the shoulders of our black colleagues and black activists, who live the experience.

Mr. Oates spoke about his region’s anti-racism charter, which has been signed by employers across the region and which, combined with data from WRES, empowers activists in their anti-racism work.

Somerset Health’s Adekunle Akinole (main photo) also spoke about the importance of everyone not turning a blind eye when witnessing racism in their workplace.

As a society, we need to speak up when we see these issues. We must know that those who choose to remain silent have only taken the side of the oppressor. What we remember are not just the words and actions of our enemies, but the silence and inaction of our friends and colleagues.

Annette Heslop of UNISON’s National Black Membership Committee (pictured below), said people in leadership positions were a big part of the problem.

When our black workers experience racism, managers don’t see it as such managers who know what racism means, and don’t care or want to know.

That is why, she said, anti-racism training must be extended to human resources departments and all managers.

Wilma Brown, Chair of the Health Services Group Executive, told delegates: I am proud that this motion opens our conference, as the fight for racial equality is an important part of our union.

If you’re black and you work in the NHS, you have a harder time with patients, colleagues and managers. Black workers are a third more likely to experience public harassment, over 50% more likely to face disciplinary proceedings.

It is essential that we all fight to improve their working lives. We cannot leave this to black members and black activists. We are a team against racism, just as we are a team for patient care and a team fighting for the future of the NHS.

The conference called on the Health Services Group Director (HSGE) to:

continue to promote its Race for Equality campaign in all health directorates and encourage all regional health committees to monitor and evaluate the work of the directorates; promote and develop training for health branches aimed at tackling racism in the NHS and tackling racist behavior in the workplace by patients, the public or staff; work through partnership structures and through direct engagement with Westminster and devolved governments to influence NHS race equality strategies/plans and push for greater employer accountability where racial disparities persist. COVID and racism

Another motion described how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed racial discrimination in health services. For example, almost half of Black NHS staff worked in COVID roles, compared to less than a third of all staff.

In voting in favor of this motion, delegates called on the HSGE to continue to:

promoting zero tolerance of racial discrimination in the NHS and encouraging branches to engage in the Race for Equality and One Team campaigns; explore how black members can have equal access to career development, training and development opportunities in the NHS; encourage black members to become active on regional and national UNISON health committees, to ensure the union reflects the whole NHS membership; explore holding a webinar on tackling racism in the NHS, as part of its Year of the Black Worker in 2023.

Images: Jess Hurd

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