Racism
is still blighting the lives of the UK’s black workers, despite the success of
government employment schemes like the New Deal.
The
TUC is calling on the Government to introduce extra measures to reverse this
trend, including legally requiring all employers in the private and voluntary
sectors to promote good race relations in their organisations. The requirement is
already in place for public sector employers.
In a
new report Moving on: How Britain’s unions are tackling racism, the TUC reveals
that despite sustained, record low unemployment among the white population at
4.4 per cent, for black and Asian people unemployment is two and half times
greater at 11.3 per cent
The
report argues that it is essential for the New Deal projects to benefit black
and Asian workers as much as white workers. At present the New Deal for young
people provides 10 per cent fewer sustained jobs for black and Asian than for
white people.
Brendan
Barber, TUC general secretary, said: "Black and Asian workers have not
gained equally from the UK’s expanding economy compared to white workers."
"Unions
give a high priority to equality at work and we are working in partnership with
many employers and the Government to establish fairness. But racism is still
rife in too many UK workplaces."
