UPDATE: SEE REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE, WHICH HAD OVER 1,100 REGISTERED, HERE
Fighting for anti racist workplaces
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On Saturday 5 February trade unionists and workplace activists from across Britain will come together at the ‘Fighting for anti racist workplaces’ conference – hosted by the TUC and Stand Up To Racism – to talk about how we oppose the government’s racist offensive.
11am – 12.30pm: OPENING PLENARY
OPPOSING JOHNSON’S RACIST OFFENSIVE: FIGHTING FOR ANTI RACIST WORKPLACES
Speakers confirmed:
Christina McAnea Unison general secretary ■ Kevin Courtney NEU general secretary ■ Patrick Roache NASUWT General secretary ■ Manuel Cortes TSSA general secretary ■ Juliana Ojinnaka UCU National Black Members Committee chair ■ Rozanne Foyer Scottish TUC general secretary ■ Shavanah Taj Wales TUC general secretary ■ Ian Taylor CWU national executive ■ Sabby Dhalu Stand Up To Racism co convenor ■ CHAIR: Wilf Sullivan TUC Equality Officer
12.45 – 2.15pm:
WORKSHOPS
1. AMIDST THE COVID PANDEMIC – FIGHTING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM: A STRATEGY FOR ANTI RACIST WORKPLACES
Speakers confirmed
Fayrouz Kraish Unite Scotland Black & Ethnic Minority committee / biomedical scientist ■ Glen Hart RMT Black & Ethnic Minorities Advisory Committee ■ Moyra Samuels Grenfell Community activist & housing campaigner ■ Lawrence Davies Belly Mujinga lawyer ■ Amarjite Singh CWU national executive ■ Sabby Dhalu Stand Up To Racism co convenor
Chair: Ameen Hadi Unison North West Black Members
2. OPPOSING THE NATIONALITY AND BORDERS BILL – RESISTING THE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
Speakers confirmed
Mohammed Shafiq PCS Black Members’ Committee chair ■ Clare Harker St Alberts Primary School teacher in Pollokshields (where staff and pupils joined opposition to dawn raid) ■ Mohammad Asif Afghan Human Rights Foundation ■ Ace Ruele, EQUITY member facing deportation ■ Suzanne Jeffrey Campaign Against Climate Change ■ Weyman Bennett Stand Up To Racism co convenor ■ CHAIR: Wilf Sullivan TUC Equality Officer
3. CHALLENGING THE LEGACY OF EMPIRE & SLAVERY: DECOLONISE EDUCATION
Speakers confirmed
Daniel Kebede NEU president ■ Victoria Showunmi UCU NEC & Black Members Committee ■ Khadija Mohammed EIS executive, senior lecturer & STUC Black Workers’ Committee ■ Tony Adams NUJ Black Members’ Council
& others to be confirmed
4. OPPOSING THE POLICING BILL – FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE
Speakers confirmed
Zita Holborne PCS vice president ■ Mel Mullings RMT Black & Ethnic Minorities Advisory Committee ■ Winston Richards CWU London Region chair ■ Neomi Bennett Equality4BlackNurses
& others to be confirmed
5. FROM CAPITOL HILL TO FRANCE’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: HOW CAN WE COMBAT THE RISE OF THE FAR RIGHT?
Speakers confirmed
Virginia Rodino United Against Hate (US ) ■ French activist ■ Steve Hedley RMT assistant general secretary ■ Lee Baron Midlands TUC regional secretary ■ Taranjit Chana GMB Race ■ Nahella Ashraf Stand Up To Racism North West
& others to be confirmed
6. MIGRANTS WORKERS – PART OF THE SOLUTION
Speakers confirmed
Matthew Creagh TUC Policy Officer ■ Petros Ilya United Voices of the World (UVW) general secretary ■ Julia Mwaluke care worker & Unison ■ Migrant workers who have led striker for better wages, conditions and rights
2.30 – 3.45pm:
CLOSING PLENARY #WORLDAGAINSTRACISM : BUILDING UN ANTI RACISM DAY 19 & 20 MARCH 2022
Speakers confirmed
Mark Serwotka PCS general secretary ■ Gloria Mills Unison Head of Equalities ■ Sarah Woolley BFAWU general secretary ■ Lena Wånggren UCU Scotland president ■ Weyman Bennett Stand Up To Racism co convenor ■ CHAIR: Kudsia Batool TUC Head of Equalities
Boris Johnson and Priti Patel’s Nationality and Borders bill is attempting to effectively remove the right to seek asylum in Britain while the scapegoating of refugees and migrants continues. The government’s CRED report denied the reality of institutional racism exposed by the Black Lives Matter movement, despite the massively disproportionate death rate amongst black front line workers and communities.
The government’s new police bill targets BLM activists and the GRT community and strengthens police powers despite the ongoing reality of black communities facing disproportionate use of stop and search and deaths in police contact.
The government is playing the game of divide and rule, attempting to fool working people that ‘others’ – migrants, refugees and Muslims – are to blame for the problems in our society.
This ‘divide and rule’ strategy legitimises racism and risks opening the door to the racist and fascist right.
We need to take up these arguments in our workplaces and build the unity we need to oppose racism and austerity.
The conference will discuss how we do this and how to maximise the trade union turnout at UN antiracism day events initiated by Stand Up To Racism and also supported by the TUC.
Model letter to trade union branches, regions and executives to support Stand Up To Racism & TUC backed UN day protests and trade union conference, and affiliate to Stand Up To Racism:
Fighting for anti racist workplaces
REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/217534169557
Dear colleagues,
On Saturday 5 February trade unionists and workplace activists from across Britain will come together at the ‘Fighting for anti racist workplaces’ conference – hosted by the TUC and Stand Up To Racism – to talk about how we oppose the government’s racist offensive.
Boris Johnson and Priti Patel’s Nationality and Borders bill is attempting to effectively remove the right to seek asylum in Britain while the scapegoating of refugees and migrants continues. The government’s CRED report denied the reality of institutional racism exposed by the Black Lives Matter movement, despite the massively disproportionate death rate amongst black front line workers and communities.
The government’s new police bill targets BLM activists and the GRT community and strengthens police powers despite the ongoing reality of black communities facing disproportionate use of stop and search and deaths in police contact.
The government is playing the game of divide and rule, attempting to fool working people that ‘others’ – migrants, refugees and Muslims – are to blame for the problems in our society.
This ‘divide and rule’ strategy legitimises racism and risks opening the door to the racist and fascist right.
We need to take up these arguments in our workplaces and build the unity we need to oppose racism and austerity.
The conference will discuss how we do this and how to maximise the trade union turnout at UN antiracism day events initiated by Stand Up To Racism and also supported by the TUC.
Model Motion for UN day and conference
We face a growing racist offensive by Boris Johnson’s government with the Nationality & Borders bill attacking the right to asylum and the government’s CRED report denying the existence of the institutional racism hi-lighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.
The government continues to deploy the politics of divide and rule scapegoating refugees, migrants and the Muslim community.
The government’s new police bill targets BLM activists and the GRT community and strengthens police powers despite the ongoing reality of black communities facing disproportionate use of stop and search and deaths in police contact.
On an international scale government’s are attempting to deflect criticism of their handling of the COVID-19 and economic crisis by using racism.
Islamophobia and antisemitism are on the rise and the Far Right are a growing threat.
In these circumstances we ask for your branch/region/executive’s support the international day of action to mark UN antiracism day on Saturday 19 March 2022.
We ask for support for Stand Up To Racism and the TUC’s events across England, Scotland and Wales to maximise the turn out from this union/region/branch/campaign.
We also ask your branch/region/executive to support the ‘Fighting for Anti Racist workplaces’ event on Saturday 5 February 2022, and also to affiliate to Stand Up To Racism.
Many thanks and solidarity,
Weyman Bennett & Sabby Dhalu
Stand Up To Racism co convenors