BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023 Empowering members to make a difference

Kebba Manneh writes that his priorities are to improve rights and challenge racism in the workplace for an equitable future

IAM HUMBLED and honoured to be re-elected as chair of the National Black Members Committee (NBMC) for the ensuing year.

It is a privilege to work with professional and committed Black Workers on the Committee as well as the staff who provide support and guidance in our collective structural decision making process on behalf of 185,000 (approximately) Black Workers in UNISON.

I am pleased to lead this important work with the lay leadership and staff in UNISON.

I am proud to continue to work with the President’s Team and the National Executive Council to secure 2023 a Year Of Black Workers (YOBW23). This is an important year to recognise the contribution and frontline role of Black workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

We know how exposed they were struggling to get access to personal protective equipment, disproportionate deaths and poor health and safety protection.

Our priority is to improve their rights at work and challenge racism in the workplace. In addition to dealing with the cost of living crisis, we have seen the resilience of Black workers playing a leading role in standing up against huge injustices in society.

Another priority is to improve Black members’ representation in the decision-making structures of UNISON.

The Union elected its first Black female President in 2011 and we have the first Black male in UNISON as Vice President. In addition, we have Black members on the NEC participating in the UNISON Staffing Committee, In- dustrial Action and Campaign Committees.

We also celebrated in March the appointment of the Chair of the UNISON Women’s Committee becoming the Sheriff of Bristol.

Leadership

I am proud to be presiding in my capacity as chair during the UNISON Year of Black Workers with an agenda that will give Black workers better and fairer opportunities at work and to ensure that they are properly rewarded and valued for their contribution in building a more equitable future.

We also honour the life of Stephen Lawrence and worked with the President and the NEC for Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Dr Neville Lawrence to be awarded Honorary