Occupational Therapy News OTnews November 2019 | Page 55

BAOT/UNISON Being a BAOT member means you also belong to Unison and can access support and advice on workplace issues at any time. Race for equality Generations of Black staff have helped make the UK what it is today. Yet every day, many face discrimination at work – whether it’s being overlooked for promotion, finding themselves more likely to be disciplined than white colleagues or having to endure racial abuse and workplace segregation. To help combat and remedy this, Unison has launched a major new campaign aimed at helping our health branches deal with the racism that their Black members face in the workplace. The aim is to support staff – and help them support each other – as we work together to take on racism. Unison deputy head of health Helga Pile says: ‘Obviously, some of the abuse we’re hearing about has been unleashed by Brexit. But racism in the NHS has been a persistent problem for years. ‘Employers across the NHS are, in theory, signed up to doing something about race equality, but commitments at the top don’t necessarily translate into action in workplaces. We want this campaign to demonstrate that Unison is serious about pushing for real change, to create an environment where people experiencing racism at work come to the union much earlier than they do currently.’ To that end, Unison has put together a package of materials designed to help health branches get more active in this area, so they can organise more collectively around race issues as well as respond to individual case work. Racism in the NHS in numbers (data from the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard 2018): • ©GettyImages/Ridofranz 19 per cent of the workforce is Black, but only seven per cent of senior managers are black; • 15 per cent of Black staff experience discrimination at work – double the rate reported by white staff; • White applicants are 1.45 times more likely to be appointed from shortlisting than Black applicants; • Black staff are 1.24 times more likely to enter formal disciplinary processes; • 28 per cent of Black staff experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from staff in the last 12 months, compared with 23 per cent of white staff; • Only 72 per cent of Black staff believe their employer provides equal opportunities for career progression/ promotion, compared with 87 per cent of white staff. The Race for Equality campaign will provide a range of materials to help health branch activists’ campaign and negotiate for race equality in their workplace, these include a Race for Equality branch action plan, briefings for reps, a campaign flyer that can be used when starting conversations with members on the issue, statistics and case studies. Some of these will be available on the campaign website at www.unison.org.uk/ raceforequality and others via stock orders. If you have a problem at work, BAOT/Unison is there to help Anyone can face problems at work, but if you are a member of BAOT, you do not have to face them alone. Whether it is about bullying, duty rotas, flexible working, annual leave or sickness procedures, a BAOT or Unison representative is on hand to help, wherever you work. We are also there to help you make sure your workplace is healthy and safe and to support you in case of disciplinary action, dismissal or redundancy. For help and advice at work – or to find out more about Unison services please contact your local BAOT/Unison steward or call our helpline: UNISON direct on tel: [phone]. Lines are open 6am to midnight, Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays. Let us know if you are interested in becoming a BAOT steward Occupational therapy stewards make a real and positive difference in the workplace. Being a steward enables you to represent the views of your occupational therapy colleagues during the many changes that take place at work. By being a steward, you can influence the way in which those changes take place, and, in some cases, whether they happen at all. The more stewards we have, the stronger our voice and the better we can represent our members. If you, or someone you know, is thinking about becoming an occupational therapy steward, please email us at [email protected] for more information. OTnews November 2019 55