Retail trade union Usdaw has a delegation of members, reps and officials attending the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) annual Black Workers’ Conference in Glasgow this weekend.
The union has submitted motions on tackling structural racism, inequality and poverty, along with addressing the combination of racism and sexual harassment Black women and girls experience.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “Black and minority ethnic people are disproportionately falling faster and further below the poverty line in the cost of living crisis in Scotland.
The labour market in Scotland – as elsewhere – remains stacked against Black workers. If you’re a Black worker in Scotland, you are more likely to be paid less and be in insecure work on the margins of the economy, and less likely to be covered by collective bargaining agreements and to not get the working hours you want.
“The data also shows that, in addition to inequality in the labour market, Black workers face higher housing costs and are less likely to be supported by social security. Black workers have less wealth, savings and income to absorb these additional costs.
“As a result, poverty levels for people in Black minority ethnic communities in Scotland are double the national average – and rising. A wide range of short- and longer-term measures need to be adopted to tackle structural racism and discrimination in Scotland’s economy and society.”
Usdaw is asking conference to call on the Scottish Government, as a minimum, to:
- Stand by their commitment to reduce racial inequality, as set out in the Race Equality Framework for Scotland.
- Bring far greater urgency to creating a labour market that offers equal opportunities for minority ethnic workers and offers a route out of poverty.
- Collect appropriate, robust ethnicity data allowing a full understanding of the structural inequalities faced by minority ethnic communities in Scotland.
Paddy Lillis continues: “Black women’s experiences of sexual harassment differ significantly as the combination of racism and sexism creates a specific form of sexual harassment.
“Black women and girls report how racism leads to their bodies being oversexualised which contributes to the assumption that they will put up with unwanted sexual conduct. Racialised objectification of Black women contributes to a particular view of Black women’s bodies.
“Women and girls who wear modest or religious clothing report that their religion or perceived ethnicity is used to insult or degrade them. When Black women object, they encounter racist abuse and when they seek support, services are often inaccessible and under-utilised. Institutional racism and sexism also means that incidents are under-reported to employers, criminal justice agencies and police.”
Usdaw is seeking the STUC Black Workers Committee to:
- Support the work Unions are doing to create separate spaces for Black women to come together to share their experiences and build networks of Black women.
- Encourage Unions to centre Black women’s voices in their campaigns to tackle and end sexual harassment.
