UNISON National Black Members' Conference 2013

Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield

273 delegates attended this years’ conference compared to 249 delegates in 2012. This year UNISON was striving to achieve proportionality and inclusiveness in member representation at conferences and according to the equalities’ survey that carried out at conference floor it shows that the numbers of delegate and visitor registrations received for this conference, split by gender are 184 Female and 89 Male. There are more than 1200 UNISON branches across all sectors and the question have to be asked where are the Black Members?!!.

Bev Miller and Ash Dhobi chaired the conference and welcomed delegates to conference.

Guest Speakers were Unison president and Dave Prentis Unison General Secretarywho highlighted the important contribution of black members within UNISON and the vital role they have to play in light of the attacks we all face from the Con /Lib Dem Coalition and the continued fight against the BNP and other racist and fascist organizations which threaten our workplaces, communities and society in general. “Equality is the beating heart of our union and we will fight racism wherever it shows its ugly head.

There were 4 fringe meetings, 3 workshops, 3 caucus meetings and 1 Labour Link meeting.

Motions

Agenda / Title / Submitter / Decision
1 / Black Self Organisation - Organising for the Future / Hammersmith & Fulham ,
Greater London Region / Carried as Amended
1.1 / Black Self Organisation - Organising for the Future / North West Region / Carried
3 / Raising the profile of Black activists / Eastern Region / Carried
4 / Black Members Representation at UNISON Conferences / National Black Members' Committee / Carried as Amended
4.1 / Black Members Representation at UNISON Conferences / North West Region / Carried
4.2 / Black Members Representation at UNISON Conferences / National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Committee / Fell
5 / Black Members Representation at National Black Members Conference / Hammersmith & Fulham / Carried
6 / Young Black Members at Conference / National Young Members' Forum / Carried
7 / Promoting ‘There4You’ to Black Members / United Utilities / Carried
8 / Effect of Government's Austerity Measures on Black People / National Black Members' Committee / Carried
8.1 / Effect of Government's Austerity Measures on Black People / National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Committee / Fell
9 / Housing Benefit, Welfare Reform and BME Communities / Northern Region / Carried
10 / Stop cuts to the Equality and Human Rights Commission / National Black Members' Committee / Carried
11 / Support for the Justice for Christopher Alder Campaign / South East Region / Carried
12 / Justice for Jay Abatan / South East Region / Carried
13 / Kick It Out - Racism has no place in Football / Greater London Region
and Hammersmith &
Fulham / Carried
15 / Fighting the Far Right / Eastern Region / Carried
16 / Changes in Employment Law / Northern Region / Carried
17 / Black Voter Registration / National Young Members Forum / Carried
18 / Black Men and Prostrate Cancer / National Black MembersCommittee / Carried
19 / Defining "Black" / Eastern Region / Carried
20 / Stop the Deportation of Overseas Students from the London Metropolitan University / National Black Members‟Committee / Carried
21 / Discrimination in the Workplace / Newcastle City / Carried
22 / Regional Race Action Plans / West Midlands Region / Carried
23 / United Nations 2011 Inspection of Race Relations in the UK / South East Region / Carried
24 / Racism Isn't Being Tackled / Newcastle City / Carried
25 / What next for Equality and Human Rights? / Northern Region / Carried
26 / The Black Experience - UNISON's Freedom of Information / Greater London Region and Hammersmith & Fulham / Carried
28 / Out Of Many We Are One - Hope for Real Independence and LGBT Equality in Jamaica / National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Committee / Carried
29 / The Day of the Africa Child / Greater London Region / Carried
30 / Support Democracy Movement - To End Human Rights Abuse in Burma / Scotland Region / Carried
31 / Libya / Greater London Region / Carried

In Summary

Motions debate the followings:

Work with the NEC to identify funding for joint initiatives, including advertising and young Black students' training days, with the NUS Black Students' Campaign to ensure that UNISON works with young Black students to encourage them to join UNISON and become active within its structures.

To seek to ensure that branches and regions include Black representation in their delegations to UNISON national conferences specifically National Delegate Conference, Service Group and SOG Conferences

Highlight campaigns that are looking to protect Welfare and Housing Rights as they affect black members.

Stop cuts to the Equality and Human Rights Commission;

Seek to liaise with the National Young Members Forum about publicising the opportunities to attend the next Black Members Conference, and request the National Young Members Forum to use their communications networks to do the same

Report patterns of inequality across regions through Equality Impact Assessments data and whether employers’ have followed best practise.

Develop a strategy and campaign to support Black members that are subjected to inequality and discrimination in the workplace.

Kick It Out - Racism has no place in Football.

Write to the FA, UEFA and FIFA outlining Unisons concerns on the issue of racism in the workplace and the lack of action taken by the federations on this issue.

Stop the Deportation of Overseas Students from the London Metropolitan University

Conference disappointment of the total exclusion of black members and black staff in the production of the Local government “ All in it together” 61 campaigning DVD.

Produce guidance for branches and regions in promoting the benefits of equality monitoring.

Include Mental Health Social Workers on the UNISON’s agenda.

Produce policies to limit number of cases held by Social Workers.

United Nations 2011 Inspection of Race Relations in the UK

The effective work challenging the far-right at election time is built upon and extended, with the production of appropriate resources

International Motions debate the followings:

The Killing of Black school children took to the street of Soweto, South Africa on the 16th June 1976 where hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down by the then apartheid security forces in South Africa

The absence of democracy in Burma, abuse of Human Rights and killing of Burmese people is still going strong under Military rule.

The Libyan government security forces continue to arrest Black men from a number of African countries such as Nigeria and Mali accusing them of being mercenary’s who were fighting on behalf of Gadaffi.

Sam Alkarnaz

25th January 2013