The Workers Union has urged the government to tackle the issues ethnic minorities face at work.
The news comes as Business in the Community (BITC) published a new report. Its findings reveal that 33 percent of black respondents believe their ethnicity is a significant bar to career progression.
The survey also highlighted a stark difference in pay satisfaction. Whereas 42 percent of White, Asian and mixed groups thought their pay an appropriate reflection of their work, only 36 percent of black people were in agreement.
The report asked wide-ranging questions, which also touched on issues such as discrimination and racial harassment. Of the 24,000 people polled, a third of black workers said that they had experienced or personally witnessed harassment from management.
The Workers Union Says
These statistics make grim reading for everyone who believes in a fair and just society. And yet here we are facing the same issues that have dogged minority groups for the last 50 years. We’re saying to the government that they have to get a grip on this. The fault lines in our country have already been exposed by Brexit. What we need now is to heal the divisions in the nation and move forward. We need to fashion a future that celebrates our diversity and opens the door for opportunities based on merit, not colour or creed.
In a speech in December last year, Boris Johnson urged the country to begin ‘healing’ after the divisive Brexit battle. Part of that process must begin with the government making good on its pledge to get companies with over 250 employees to publish ethnic pay gap information. It will only be a small part of the battle to secure equality, but a significant step towards making Britain a better place for all of us.
The Workers Union is Britain’s fastest growing union. We give a voice to those who feel marginalised, victimised and harassed at work. Visit the ‘why join’ page for more information about the benefits of joining a union for work.
The Workers Union – Britain’s hardest working union
