You will have seen over the last few weeks the news stories regarding the unlawful killing of George Floyd and the many Black Lives Matter protests taking place all over the world. UNISON@NTU are in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the condemnation of racism.
Dave Prentis, the General Secretary of UNISON, has written a blog post about why we must recommit ourselves to the fight against racism in all its forms.
https://www.unison.org.uk/news/2020/06/blog-must-commit-actively-anti-racist/
“The murder of George Floyd is another example of the racism that blights US society. There are those who would claim that the situation in the UK is different, but that’s not true. Last year, the UK Independent Office for Police Conduct recorded a total of 276 deaths during or following police contact. Black people are overrepresented in cases including use of police force.
Racism, in all its forms, remains a part of our society. It exists when Black workers get paid less than someone else doing the same job or when they’re passed over for jobs that similarly or less qualified colleagues are appointed to. It exists when you’re more likely to be fined for breaching Coronavirus restrictions if you’re Black. And it exists too in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities.”
So, what can we do to help? On a global level, you can donate, protest, educate and more by visiting https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
At a branch level, you can help us by organising a Black Members group. Self-organised groups meet locally and nationally to discuss, campaign and organise around the specific issues that affect them. They help UNISON understand equality and meet our equality aims. UNISON also publishes a newsletter for Black members, highlighting campaigns and news; the latest issue is attached and I would encourage all members to read it - Black_Action_January_2020.pdf
If you are interested in setting up our branch Black Members group, please get in touch with us. You can also find out more information at https://www.unison.org.uk/about/what-we-do/fairness-equality/black-members/organising/
Some of our members may be reading this and thinking ‘but surely all lives matter?’ The answer to that is yes, they do, but until Black lives matter then all lives cannot matter. The Black Lives Matter movement is one of equality, not oppression; to make all lives matter, Black lives must first be raised.
NTU have also recently published the ‘Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap Report 2020’. We welcome your feedback on any of these matters.