Author: unionlearn news releases

Having set up the annual TUC Race Relations Committee, Roots Culture Identity art exhibition ten years ago, to fulfil one of the recommendations of the TUC Stephen Lawrence taskforce in order to provide a platform for young black artists experiencing the double discrimination of age and race in the labour market and the racism of the arts and culture sector. As a practicing artist myself, I was well aware of the treatment, working conditions, poor pay and exploitation that artists encounter but also of the institutional racism and barriers faced by black artists.

So, I quickly became involved, elected to the union’s National Executive Committee and then to my current role as one of the joint National Chairs of AUE. As joint chairs we fulfil the role of a General Secretary because our union is structured different to many other unions and we don’t have one.

As a black woman in senior leadership roles in trade unions I have experienced racism, assumptions and isolation. It is very important to surround ourselves with others who can give practical support and to share experiences of the barriers we face with those also going through the same. That is why having black structures is important and being on the TUC Race Relations Committee is crucial to providing that family to support each other but also in ensuring that we form campaigns and policies and take action to remove the barriers, challenge discrimination and ensure that we as black workers have seat at the table both in union structures and in our workplaces.

Recently I have been involved in the TUC Anti-racism Taskforce in the collective bargaining workstream – as an experienced negotiator and personal case officer I am painfully aware of the trauma and stress that black workers go through trying to challenge the discrimination they face at work on an individual basis and the need for us to ensure that race equality is at the heart of collective bargaining but that black trade unionists have a seat at the table at all levels and that there is nothing about us without us.

But I also recognise the importance of us working not in silos but across our communities and it’s also why I have also been a community activist for many years.

In the summer of 2010 I co-founded Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK in anticipation of the programme of cuts that were to come which ended up being over a decade of austerity, because I knew that these cuts were going to impact adversely and disproportionately on black workers, service users and communities. We needed to bring these group of people together if we were to be effective in our fight against them and so we brought black trade union and black community campaigners together to run BARAC UK both nationally and locally.

Very soon it became apparent that hand in hand with the impacts of austerity came deepening race discrimination, a rise of the far right - which in turn led to a rise in racist abuse and attacks and the scapegoating of refugees and migrant communities. So, our remit as an organisation has broadened to include regular humanitarian aid missions, supporting and leading race justice campaigns, lobbying and campaigning for refugee and migrant rights and working to decolonise institutions and challenge systemic racism.

What I thought would be a short-term campaign turned into an organisation that is now 12 years old and is recognised internationally not just nationally, for example we have special status with the UN in recognition of our work on human rights and race equality. We have co-founded Movement Against Xenophobia, BME Lawyers for Grenfell, African, Caribbean, Asian Lawyers for Justice, Action Against Detention and Deportations, Windrush Day of Action and various anti austerity campaigns to name but a few.

Our work is varied, often urgent, responding to emergencies like the Windrush Scandal, mass deportations – including the Rwanda deal, deaths at the hand of the State, closures of black community centres, mass redundancies and more -  recently the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on those with no recourse to public funds and/ or in frontline jobs for example.

We seek to bring trade unions together with community activists and the communities impacted, arming those who need it with the tools and knowledge to campaign, amplifying the voices of others and providing practical solidarity. A model motion we wrote on the Windrush scandal for example was adopted by local Labour constituencies and passed as policy at National Labour Party conference as well as the TUC Black Workers Conference.

When we face adversity we all need to work together as one but we also give solidarity to those in other parts of the world, making the links between climate change, displacement, migration and racism to the legacies of colonialism on the African diaspora where ever they are in the world now from the USA, Brazil to Europe and organising solidarity vigils and demos when black people are killed in other countries, for example we hosted an event for the family of Trayvon Martin after he was the victim of a racist murder in the USA.

People sometimes wonder why I am invited to speak in different parts of the world on the work I do, whether as a trade unionist, community activist, human rights campaigner or multi-disciplinary artist. This is because racism crosses borders and solidarity should have no borders, our struggles are connected and so our action against it must be collective and global whether at the bargaining table, at borders that refugees fleeing for their lives are blocked from crossing or against cuts to services in our communities.

Having been invited to write this for black history month, it’s important to point out that BHM was always supposed to kick start a programme of black history events that run through the year, black history is every day and it’s world history, it’s British history but because we are often erased from the curriculums and history books it’s essential that we document and archive our histories and that they are shared, celebrated and acknowledged.

In my six years journey with the union, I have worked my way through the ranks from branch to national. I have been blessed to have a very supportive union, that provided me with the support and help that I needed to progress as an officer.

Initially, I joined the union as I was interested in the charity work for CWUHA {Communication Workers Union Humanitarian Aid}. They were going to do a Coast to Coast Cycle to raise funds.

Following joining, I attended my first committee meeting within 2 weeks. This was my first taste of the active union and the work we do for members, for society and for other reps and officers.

I was interested in becoming an officer and learning what actions are required to help my fellow colleagues to deal with issues in the workplace. I applied for the vacant position of BAME Officer in my Branch and I was successfully elected. 

The branch had never had a BAME Officer before so I immediately looked to make a change to introduce the role to the members. I started with surveying and mapping my members to find out their issues. This developed into a 12 month plan to address and campaign.

Following this approach, I decided to also stand for election as the Young Workers Officer for the Branch and was also successful.

I have since progressed to become the CWU Regional Executive Lead and National Committee Chair for Young Workers and National Chair for TUC Young Workers. This opportunity has been amazing and I loved the ability to advance from representing in one workplace to representing the national membership.

One of the greatest benefits of being based in the North East is the link with Show Racism The Red Card, who are based in North Shields.  They have some fantastic resources and training events locally and I created the link between my CWU Branch and SRtRC by hosting their national Wear Red Day.  This is the UK's largest celebration of anti-racism. I invited members to join us by wearing red, getting involved, having fun and promoting the fact that anti-racism is at the top of our agenda.

I then decided to promote other events such as Black History Month and Stephen Lawrence Day but instead of just putting up a poster, I hosted workplace events, posted on social media and sent information directly to our members.

We released key information over a period of time to educate members on BAME issues in the workplace and in society, but most importantly how to report any concerns.  It was essential to me that when I did this I also recognised that it needed to be family friendly so members could share with children, grandchildren, siblings and friends.  So not only were they learning, they had the resources to be able to pass on that knowledge.

I’m fortunate that not only for my own workplace but in the other workplaces I’ve been able to visit now with my roles, that so far I haven’t had any serious race related issues escalated to me.  I take pride in knowing that if there ever was, that my contact details are readily available for anyone to reach out and I always give assurances of confidentiality.  Many members do reach out on other issues, either for themselves or on behalf of their family and I take pride in helping them.

My experience and knowledge gained on my journey from committee worker to workplace rep and then onto BAME Officer gave me the confidence to apply for the positions above in my branch.  I’ve always had great encouragement and support.

In the future, I’m looking to be able to now ‘pay it forward’ and help others on their journey of development within the CWU.

On Saturday 17th September 2022 over fifty members of Britain’s Hongkonger community gathered in a small church in central Birmingham for a day of learning about workplace rights, trade unions and employment support.  

Matt Pointon of the Midlands TUC who led on the initiative explains,

It’s thanks to Dr Fuk Ying Tse and our colleagues at GFTU as they linked us up with the Hongkongers and we recognised a need for learning, employment support and an awareness of workplace rights that the TUC could help fill.

The event was supported by South & City College Trade Union Studies Department who provided the Know Your Rights At Work & Joining a Trade Union sessions and the National Careers Service who provided workshops on Getting a Job in the UK. There was also support in terms of materials from the WMCA, WEA, GMB, UNISON and Unite the Union. 

There was also a tasty lunch of traditional Hong Kong fayre provided by the Home Office’s BNO project, with a lengthy Q&A session afterwards. Feedback was positive all around with comments including:

Informative, helpful, thank you!

Thanks for all the efforts! Really appreciate it! Looking forward to joining more workshops in the future!

The information is very useful. Thank you all speakers!

Thanks for all the efforts! Enjoy life! Fight for freedom!

Wales TUC’s Stanley Ho, himself a Hongkonger, who supported the event commented,

This was a special and useful event for Hong Kong newcomers in the UK. It’s not only about right of joining union, or learning how to find a job, but also providing an essential platform for those new arrivals to learn with each other experiences about labour right in their mother language! There are around 100 Hongkongers in the Healthcare industry that will join a union. It is a good start for them to involve into the UK democratic civil society. I believe they will be active in their branches and try hard to amplify their workers’ voice around the country.

Tai Shing from the Hongkongers in Britain organisation added,

The workplace culture in the UK is very different from that in Hong Kong. Thanks to the introduction by the Trades Union Congress, South & City College and National Career Services, new arrivals from Hong Kong were presented with a clear picture of workers’ rights and workplace situation in the UK context.  The advice on job seeking is particularly helpful to those struggling to start a new chapter of their career in a different country. We are very grateful for the support from these partnering organisations in making this event such a success.

Moving forward, all parties are eager to continue the collaboration between the Hongkonger community and the trade union movement. A webinar with National Careers Service around finding work in the healthcare sector is being planned for October and the potential for holding other events around the country is being investigated. 

These were the words of one attendee at the inaugural TUC West Midlands Festival of Learning at the TUC and CWU offices on Summer Lane, Birmingham. So many of the other 60 colleagues – from 9 different unions – echoed this positivity, speaking about how great it is to be back in a room together again, remembering how inspiring it can be to learn in this way.

Laughter and talk were the order of the day, and not just because there was the opportunity to attend a laughter workshop. Participants dipped their toes into various activities: writing poems, drawing cartoons, writing songs. It was fun, but it also reminded them of the deep benefits of learning to personal development, people’s mental wellbeing and our sense of self.

ULRs and other activists from across the Midlands and beyond gathered for the event, opened by Regional Secretary Lee Barron. Organised on the back of the region’s successful quarterly ULR forum, the event aimed to bring people together and reignite a love of learning, after a long period of purely online, lockdown activity.

Representatives from Community, CWU, MU, NASUWT, NEU, PCS, UCU, UNISON and Unite joined with TUC staff members, and representatives from partner organisations, to celebrate learning in the Midlands. Highlights included a presentation on building a mental health network from the CWU’s Jamie McGovern, and a side-splitting speech from published author and postie, Ben Davis. There were also workshops on Laughter for Well-being from Feelgood Communities, Writing for Wellness from the Royal Literary Fund, art with Karillapig illustrator Mark Rowe and Writing your First Song from PCS’s Mark Robinson.

There were also stalls from the WEA and Birmingham City University as well as Q&A from the West Midlands Combined Authority.

With over fifty people in attendance and overwhelmingly positive feedback, the event was deemed a success and there are plans to repeat it annually and potentially replicate it in other regions.

TUC Midlands ULR Forum Chair, Steve Croke commented

It was a remarkable success, and it surpassed all my expectations. I hope it inspires members of other unions to join our ULR forum.

TUC Midlands Regional Secretary Lee Barron echoed those sentiments, saying,

I believe the Festival of Learning, the first of its kind in the country, has been a great success. Learning is important and what is also important is that we shout out our successes. Too often in the trade union movement, we stay quiet about what we do well; today has been quite the opposite.

Participants left fired up to take their learning back to their workplaces and inspire colleagues to want to be part of this too. The day’s activities will feed into the work of our ULR forum, and it’s fantastic to know that participants are hungry for more. Watch this space, it won’t be the last time we come together to be inspired in this way.