UK

Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers

‘Structural racism’ means one in six BME workers are in an insecure job, we desperately need to tackle systemic discrimination

The massive and disproportionate concentration of BME workers in Britain in low-paid and precarious work is structural racism in action - and yet another damning legacy from 14 years of Conservative rule.

Paul Nowak 

Yesterday

Left Foot Forward

Paul Nowak is General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress

We have witnessed over the past weeks attempts by the far-right to divide working class communities and use mistruths and false information to push the narrative of blame onto Muslim and migrant communities. But we know that the real problems and frustrations lie in the damage wrought by a decade of political failings.

That’s why it’s so important to deliver the necessary change to tackle the politics of hate and division.

Our new data shows how over a decade of downgrading rights at work have affected all communities, and just how urgent our agenda to bolster workers’ rights and deliver for working people.

The Tories oversaw an explosion in insecure, low-paid work, with more and more people being pushed into precarious employment.

This week new analysis by the TUC shows how Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers have borne the brunt of a problem that affects far too many people in working class jobs.

The massive and disproportionate concentration of BME workers in Britain in low-paid and precarious work is structural racism in action – and yet another damning legacy from 14 years of Conservative rule.

Under the Tories, insecure work – which includes zero-hours contracts, low-paid self-employment and casual/ seasonal work – rose almost three times faster than secure forms of employment.

Between 2011 and 2023 the rate of people doing insecure jobs jumped by 31%, while those in secure jobs increased by just 11%. This has meant the overall number of people in insecure or precarious work has increased by nearly one million to a shocking 4.1 million.

This has had devastating consequences for workers affected.

Being trapped in these low-paid, insecure jobs translates to limited rights and protections, and often being treated like disposable labour.

BME workers hit hardest

In 2011 around 360,200 BME workers were in insecure employment, however this more than doubled to a record high of 878,800 by 2023.

The huge increase in the number of BME workers facing job insecurity was around 8.5 times the increase in the proportion of white workers in insecure work over the same period.

The TUC estimates this has left 1 in 6 BME workers in the UK trapped in precarious work, compared to 1 in 9 white workers.

BME workers experience racism at every stage of the labour market, including discrimination in recruitment processes, fewer opportunities for training and development compared to white workers, being unfairly disciplined, and being forced into roles with less favourable terms and pay.

BME workers have been punished by years of institutional racism in the labour market.

It’s another stark reminder of the impact 14 years of Conservative policies have had, that sought to repeal workers’ rights and instigate a race to the bottom on pay and conditions.

Employment rights bill can be a gamechanger

Britain is crying out for employment reforms to turn the tide on increasing work insecurity and discrimination, and to deliver dignity and fairness in the workplace.

That’s why the new government’s Employment Rights Bill is so important. It will help make work pay and raise living standards for hundreds and thousands of BME workers – who are hardest hit by the tide of insecurity that’s hit the working class.

The Employment Rights Bill will help turn the minimum wage into a real living wage. It will ban zero-hours contracts and make key employment rights available from day one on the job. It will be a game changer for hard-pressed working families.

And Labour’s plans to place a duty on employers to report their ethnicity pay gap will also make a huge difference to BME workers around the country.

Change is desperately needed to drive up employment standards and tackle systematic discrimination.

The new government – in partnership with unions – can turn the tide on insecure work and tackle structural racism in our labour market.

It’s a historic and timely opportunity to set the nation on course for a better future, and one that can find solutions to the problems that divide us.