10. Bullying, harassment, discrimination and racism
• Challenging policies that ban other languages or favour“ cultural fit”
• Setting up migrant worker or Black members’ groups within the branch
• Reviewing branch structures to make sure they are inclusive and welcoming
• Building links with community and campaigning groups
Sometimes racism plays out between migrant workers themselves, often due to cultural tensions or workplace hierarchies( see Chapter 13). Employers may exploit these differences, creating division and mistrust. For example, a manager from one national group may show bias against workers from another, or different groups may be set against each other in shift allocation or grievance processes.
Union reps and organisers should be alert to these dynamics and work to build unity, not division. This may include:
• Holding inclusive meetings that allow all voices to be heard
• Acknowledging and addressing group tensions openly
• Promoting respect and solidarity across cultural and national lines
• Ensuring union reps are representative of the workforce.
Early performance improvement plans as potential discrimination
Caseworkers gave examples of migrant workers both in NHS and social care roles being placed on a performance improvement plan( PIP) early on in their jobs. Workers have been disciplined in this way when they may not have received adequate training – and it may constitute indirect discrimination, particularly where there is a pattern of this treatment affecting migrant workers.
This situation could be compounded by other factors:
• A lack of support or mentorship
• Exclusion from training or team dynamics
• Cultural misunderstandings or communication issues being misinterpreted as underperformance.
Disciplinary action for“ speaking too loudly”
Caseworkers describe how black women in health and social care are often unfairly disciplined or criticised for the way they speak, including tone or volume. This feedback frequently reflects underlying bias rather than genuine misconduct. In one branch, several black women were subject to disciplinary processes after colleagues or service users claimed they were“ aggressive” or“ too loud” during normal conversations at work.
58 LRD • Supporting migrant workers