Anti-Racism data dashboard: setting movement-wide targets on racial equality

To help unions on their journey we have offered resources and guidance that unions can use to track their progress and successes.  

The anti-racism data dashboard sets movement-wide targets to keep up the momentum and create more opportunities for us to work together towards a stronger, more inclusive anti-racist movement.  

What’s the anti-racism data dashboard? 

The data dashboard focuses on three main areas: representation, membership, and the unions themselves, providing a framework for us to genuinely progress towards the anti-racist values we are committed to.  

These indicators sit alongside and compliment the work of the TUC Anti-Racism Taskforce, in particular the anti-racism manifesto, equality campaign plan and anti-racism action plan.  

By Congress 2027, we aim to achieve demonstrable and tangible changes within our trade union movement to bolster the confidence of Black members. 

BME membership density in trade unions

Achieving a diverse union movement is a critical goal. Currently, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) employees are underrepresented in union membership. While BME employees make up 16.2% of the UK workforce, they only account for 13.4% of union members.

Our goal is for union membership to mirror the UK workforce's demographics by 2027. This alignment is vital to ensuring that unions represent and support all workers, and reflect the diverse working class of modern Britain.

Unions collecting monitoring data for staff and members

Monitoring and recording BME data within unions is essential to building a stronger and inclusive movement. However, data collection on ethnicity, particularly for union members and staff, has been inconsistent.

By 2027, the goal is for all of our unions to collect and monitor this data, ensuring that unions can accurately assess and address diversity within their lay and official structures.

Many unions lack comprehensive data on BME representation in leadership roles, particularly at the senior management level. While 61% of unions collect ethnicity data for their National Executive members, only half have records on BME staff, and smaller unions are less likely to track these statistics.

Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting

Significant campaigning has been made in ethnicity pay gap reporting, but there is still work to be done. The TUC is calling on all unions with over 30,000+ members to report their pay gap data and develop action plans to address it.

In 2027, the goal is all qualifying unions should be publishing pay gap data and using it to drive meaningful change, with a commitment to release a movement-wide ethnicity pay gap report by 2027.

Our last chance

The work initiated by the Taskforce and the implementation and oversight phase until 2027 has proven that the movement’s anti-racist work must be ongoing and can't drop off the agenda.

While setting targets and monitoring statistics are crucial to get our anti-racist commitments on a path of progress, they must be balanced with the slower, more reflective work of critically examining our structures. This is being reflected in some of the work our unions are carrying out to address BME representation. However, more needs to be done.

An independent evaluation of the Taskforce underscored this, noting that the Taskforce was designed to be more action-oriented, focusing on key union activities like collective bargaining and organising.  The Taskforce also sent a clear message to unions: it was time to address internal issues of BME under-representation.

This is a pivotal moment for our union movement, with many BME union members viewing it as the “last chance” for unions to confront racism. Now is the time to hold ourselves accountable and ensure our unions are spaces of true anti-racist practice.

Over two decades ago, we launched our first race programme with the Stephen Lawrence Task Group. Four years ago, we initiated our second major effort. We cannot afford to wait another decade for yet another programme because we failed to enact real change this time.

Go to Anti-Racism data dashboard