Many members will be aware that Nelson Mandela was an honorary member of UNISON. In his lifetime he received over 260 awards including the Nobel Peace Prize. To honour his achievements, the National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC) present the Nelson Mandela Award each year to a Black member who has gone above and beyond. If […]
Black members news
Challenging Racism in the Workplace is vital to UNISON’s work, whether it involves bargaining and negotiating for members; growing our membership; challenging pay freezes, reorganisations and redundancies or organising our member around campaigns that matter most to them. UNISON’s Black members have many of the same concerns as any other member regarding access to employment, […]
Our Motions to National Delegate Conference (NDC) The National Black Members’ Committee submitted two motions to NDC: Motion 9 – National Executive Council & Rule Book Commitment to Fair Representation Motion 118 – Immigration Advice and Black Members If you are attending conference, please think about speaking on these important motions. The full text of […]
Written by Neil and Lucy – co-chairs National LGBT+ committee The Nordic (Swedish) model for sex work aims to reduce or ‘end’ demand for sex work through a legal framework which criminalises the purchase of sex. But as with many things, making something illegal just pushes it underground. Norway, Iceland, Canada, Northern Ireland, France, Ireland, […]
It’s not easy being a Transgender person in the UK at the moment. Political and media anti-trans sentiments and comments appear daily. A government renegading on promises to reform the Gender Recognition Act, and the proposed ban of ‘conversion therapy’ to not include trans people. The tactics being used, particularly the vilification of trans women, […]
In February 2014, Hydrogen Cyanide was carried from a landfill site by floodwaters and found in the home of 7-year-old Zane Gbangbola, who tragically died. The authorities claimed the land was toxic-free and uncontaminated until the BBC exposed the deliberate misleading of the public. Zane’s Law Campaign Zane’ family launched the Zane’s Law campaign at […]
We are delighted to announce that Kemoy Walker has won the 2022 Nelson Mandela Award. Kemoy says “Winning this award is a fantastic achievement. I do lots of things in my local community for the love and passion but it’s great to be recognised as a beacon of that community. It’s a massive achievement and […]
Nearly two years from the start of the pandemic, we have seen and heard how covid has disproportionately impacted on our Black members in the workplace, with sometimes devastating consequences. But even before the pandemic, racism at work exacerbated the health and safety risks Black workers face. Third party racial harassment and abuse; bullying and […]
Racism in all its forms is objectionable. Islamophobia is a more nuanced form of hate. UNISON recognises the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) definition of Islamophobia, which is as follows: ‘Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness’ This is just one description – there […]
Meals are an important part of cultural identity. Though food consumed varies by country and culture, the ceremony of eating unites us. Sharing meals is often grounded in family traditions and these traditions contribute to who we are. Factors such as who prepares the meal, who eats with us, and whether any religious customs are […]
Written by Davis Mac-Iyalla, Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA) Fellow Comrades and Allies, I want to share my journey with you. It involves my mission for LGBT+ inclusion in eleven West African countries. While I would have enjoyed sharing some of the pleasant parts of my story, now is not the time. We […]
We’ve heard a lot about health inequalities since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but what are they exactly? Health inequalities are the disparities in occurrence, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes between groups of people. Covid-19 has had a disproportionate impact on Black communities in the UK. A number of factors have contributed to this, including […]
June is a busy month for UNISON. Our conferences bring members together to decide the union’s policies and priorities. Branches, self-organised groups and other bodies submit motions on what they want to see happen and members then have the opportunity to vote on them. Special Delegate Conference This year there is a Special Delegate Conference […]
NBMC members are from different ethnicities, different faiths, with different accents and different life experience but we have one common goal – race equality.
The world witnessed a murder and responded to injustice. It has been a long time coming in America with its history of police brutality, often culminating in the deaths of Black people in custody. This just verdict sends a message across the world that Black Lives Matter, and that people from all walks of life […]