Black History Month: The Role of Trade Unions in Tackling Racism

During Black History Month, it is important to reflect on the progress made in the fight for equality and justice, while also acknowledging that there is still work to be done to challenge racism, discrimination and unfair treatment in the workplace.

It is also an important opportunity to remember the significant historical role of the Black workers who helped to solidify race equality as a trade union issue.

Trade unions stand up for workers and make sure they are fully supported and respected in the workplace, meaning they play an important role in this fight for equality.

The TUC’s report into Black workers, workplace risk and the fight for equal protection

Earlier this year, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) published No Worker Left Behind, a report into Black workers’ experiences at work.

The findings showed that racist “jokes” or workplace “banter” remained among the most commonly experienced forms of racism.

“These repeated ‘low-level’ behaviours create an environment where racism becomes normalised and where many workers feel unsafe or unsupported”, the TUC said.

More serious and threatening behaviours still persist, however, and Black workers continue to report higher levels of verbal abuse, intimidation and threats of physical violence in the workplace compared with white workers.

In fact, experiences of physical violence, threats and intimidation at work have risen from 19% in 2020 to 25% in 2026.

The report also shows that the experience of unfair treatment, racism and harassment has a stark, negative impact on workers and makes them feel “less confident, stressed and embarrassed”, also driving them to leave their jobs.

According to the TUC, advice on rights at work is the most valued form of union support for Black workers, with members highlighting the importance of legal advice, training and equality initiatives when there are cases of bullying or discrimination.

This means unions have a very clear way into helping workers who have experienced racism, discrimination, bullying or harassment. What’s more, union reps, who understand the culture of their workplace, can also help to create a more inclusive space by challenging racist “banter” and “jokes” and driving awareness around forms of discrimination.

How workplace reps can help to tackle racism in the workplace

Union reps effectively act as intermediaries between workers and the union, and this means they can help to influence workplace culture.

Union reps can help to tackle workplace discrimination by:

• Acting quickly when racism is reported and explaining the member’s rights and available procedures.
• Challenging any attempts to dismiss racism as “banter”.
• Becoming familiar with the employer’s equality and anti-bullying policies as well as collective agreements that cover equality issues.
• Creating a safe environment for people to raise concerns by encouraging anti-racist training and discussions around workplace culture.
• Publicising the type of support available through the union.
• Pressing employers to monitor and publish their equality data.
• Encouraging Black members to become workplace reps.

In order to properly champion the rights of under-represented groups (LGBTQIA+, women, BAME, disabled and young workers), Community trains people to become equalities reps.

The responsibilities of a Community equalities rep include:

• Advising the branch on equalities issues and supporting members from under-represented groups.
• Raising awareness on discrimination and equalities issues.
• Mapping workplaces to ensure the branch is representative of all employees.
• Carrying out equalities surveys.
• Promoting best practice on all policies and agreements.
• Keeping members informed on equalities issues.
• Helping negotiate for policies and practices/monitor their effectiveness.
• Identifying equalities issues and making sure they’re on the agenda.

All in all, workplace reps play a very important role in the fight for workplace equality. Not only do they give workers a collective voice, but they also make sure they have a formal route for challenging forms of discrimination.