One in five BME workers treated unfairly at work during Covid-19 – TUC reveals

• TUC today publishes pre-Covid-19 polling from ICM that shows that racism was rife in the workplace before the pandemic   

• New TUC self-report survey adds to concerns that BME workers are now being put at increased risk during the pandemic 

• TUC demands government takes decisive action to tackle racism now 

One in five black and minority ethnic (BME) people of those surveyed said they have been treated unfairly at work during the coronavirus pandemic because of their ethnicity, according to a new TUC self-report survey published today (Friday). 

In June the TUC launched a call for evidence for BME workers to share their experiences of work during Covid-19. More than 1,200 got in touch with the union body.  

Of those who contacted the TUC: 

• A fifth said they received unfair treatment because of their ethnicity 

• Around one in six BME workers told the TUC that they felt they had been put more at risk of exposure to coronavirus because of their ethnic background. Many reported being forced to do frontline work that white colleagues had refused to do. 

Other respondents said they were denied access to proper personal protective equipment (PPE), refused risk assessments and were singled out to do high-risk work. 

Racism at work 

The TUC believes that the Covid-19 outbreak has exacerbated many of the problems that already existed in the workplace – and wider society – for BME people.  

Just before the pandemic, a separate ICM poll of BME workers revealed that nearly half (45%) were given harder or less popular work than white colleagues. 

And the poll found that racism was rife in the workplace: 

• Just over three in 10 (31%) BME workers told the TUC that they had had been bullied or harassed at work 

• A similar percentage (32%) had witnessed racist verbal or physical abuse in the workplace or at a work organised social event 

• Over a third (34 %) reported being unfairly turned down for a job   

• Around a quarter (24%) had been singled out for redundancy 

• One in six (16%) said they left their job because of the racist treatment they received. 

Previous TUC analysis has found that BME people tend to be paid less than white workers with the same qualifications. And that they are more likely to work in low-paid, undervalued jobs on insecure contracts. 

BME people working in jobs with higher mortality rates 

Additional new TUC analysis of official statistics shows that BME people are more likely to be working in professions with higher coronavirus mortality rates than white people, such as security guards, carers, nurses and drivers. 

• BME men: Nearly three in 10 (28%) of male BME workers are employed in a specific occupation with a higher male mortality rate, compared to less than one in five (18%) of white male workers. This makes male BME workers 57% more likely to be working in one of these occupations than white male workers. 

• BME women: One in five (20%) of female BME workers are employed in a specific occupation with a higher female mortality rate, compared to one in seven (14%) of white female workers. This makes female BME workers 48% more likely than female white workers to be employed in an occupation with a higher female mortality rate. 

Government must act on institutional and systemic racism 

The TUC is calling on the government to: 

• Publish an action plan to tackle the inequalities that BME people face, including in work, health, education and justice 

• Introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting and make employers publish action plans to ensure fair treatment for BME workers in the workplace 

• Ban zero-hours contracts, and strengthen the rights of insecure workers  

• Publish all the equality impact assessments related to its response to Covid-19 and be fully transparent about how it considers BME communities in its policy decisions. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Coronavirus has exposed the huge inequalities BME workers face.  

"Many have been discriminated against at work – and many have been put at greater risk than their white colleagues during the pandemic. That is not right. 

“Racism has blighted – and in some cases prematurely ended – BME lives during this crisis. And it’s clear from our research that racism and discrimination at work were part of many BME people’s day-to-day experience well before the pandemic. 

“This crisis has to be a turning point. The government must challenge systemic racism and inequality.” 

Case studies 

Sarah (not her real name), a nurse, told the TUC: When I went to work I was given a suspected Covid-19 patient to care for. When I said that the staff should be rotated so that we can all take a break from looking after Covid-19 patients, the senior nurse said if I found it difficult she would inform my agency to stop booking me. Because I didn’t want to lose my bookings I continued to work but I only did a day or two a week. Previously, I worked as a team leader. I was never given enough staff as prescribed by the hospital policy. In the end I was forced to resign not because I did anything wrong, but because I had the wrong skin colour. The stress was too much so I had to make a decision to either die on the job or move away quietly to save my dignity and health. 

Precious (not her real name), a care worker told the TUC: There was a shortage of PPE in [the] care home. I was expected to go into Covid-19 patients without appropriate PPE [and] wash deceased Covid-19 patients without appropriate PPE (seven in total) whilst white colleagues have not had one. [There was an] assumption that because of my colour I would do what I was told… Employers that don't provide appropriate PPE need to have a reporting system that staff have confidence will work. Currently complaints are swept under the carpet. If I was to complain I would be moved or lose my job. 

Estelle (not her real name), a midwife, said: I have noticed a trend of black midwives being sent on home visits in the community in comparison to white midwives. Black midwives expressed their concern because of the obvious and clear information regarding BME people being more at risk of dying of coronavirus or being seriously unwell. Yet the majority of midwives that have been sent on home visits have been black.  

Gabriella (not her real name), an agency nurse, told the TUC: I was allocated to the red zone caring for suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19 without full protection. White counterparts were sent to work in the blue zone and on telephone triage. After raising concerns about patient and staff safety and the lack of PPE I was removed from the rota.