‘Structural racism in action’ has been a key discussion point at the Trade Union Congress Women’s Conference 2022, which is now underway.

The TUC Women’s Conference is currently in progress in London, running from March 9 to 11.

Delegates have been hearing of the structural racism facing black and minority ethnic women (BME) in Britain, with the trade union body warning that insecure work is “tightening the grip” on structural racism in the labour market and deepening gender inequalities.

The warnings follow a report published by the TUC that reveals BME women are twice as likely to be on zero-hour contracts as white men – 4.7% compared to 2.4%.

‘Structural racism in action’

BME workers in general are being significantly overrepresented on insecure contracts that do not promise regular hours compared to white workers – a trend that has been branded by the TUC as “structural racism in action.”

In response to the findings in the report, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Insecure work is endemic in modern Britain, with more than a million people having to rely on zero-hours contracts to make ends meet.

“And its black workers, particularly women, who are getting trapped in jobs with the worst pay and the worst conditions — struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table.

“We need to end the scourge of insecure work once and for all. That’s how you start to tackle the structural racism that holds black workers back. And that’s how you take meaningful action to fight for gender equality in the labour market.”

Gloria Mills, chairman of the TUC’s race relations committee, said: “Black workers and black women are at the sharp end of structural racism in the labour market” and it is time for unions “to step up the action to organise for a better deal for black workers that ends low pay, the racial pay gap and racial segregation in the labour market.”

Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, who, before entering Parliament, was a UNISON black members’ activist, said the data proves black women are “at the bottom of the heap in the labour market”

For Johnson, the findings confirm the need for a “£15-per-hour national minimum wage, better terms and conditions and the ending of zero-hours contracts.”

Tackling inequalities in the labour market

To tackle structural racism and inequalities in the labour market, the TUC is calling for a ban on zero-hour contracts by ensuring all workers have a right to a contract. It is also urging for decent notice of shifts and for employers to provide compensation for cancelled shifts. The Trade Union Congress is requesting for the introduction of ethnicity pay gap reporting to expose pay disparities BME workers face so that employers face pressure to act and reduce the pay gap.

Over 1 million workers on zero-hour contracts

Recent figures from the Office of National Security (ONS) show that more than one million workers are now on zero-hours contracts – a rise of 40,000 compared to the previous year.

The TUC says this method of recruitment hands the employer total control over their workers’ hours and therefore earning power.

Consequently, workers on zero-hour contracts never know how much they will earn each month, week or even day, and their income is subject to managers’ whims.

As a result, it is much more difficult for workers to plan their lives, take care of their children and get to medical appointments and other vital events, the union body warns.

The TUC notes how this exploitative type of work also makes it harder for workers to challenge unacceptable behaviour by bosses due to concerns about whether they will be penalised by not being allocated future hours.

This insecure working environment proves especially challenging for those who have caring responsibilities, which is overwhelmingly women.

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward

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