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What's on at Black Workers Conference

This year we're excited to be hosting several free online events bringing together activists, organisers and trade unionists. Come and join us.

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Why you should join us

Hear about the TUC Anti-Racism Taskforce plans to fundamentally change how the race union movement organises, negotiates, and public campaigns on anti-racism.  The Taskforce is also working on making the trade union movement more representative of Black workers in their elected and full-time structures.

Attend workshops run by members of the TUC Anti-Racism Taskforce to put forward your views and make suggestions on what trade unions need to change to improve Black and Minority Ethnic workers' lives. The numbers attending each workshop will be limited.

Participate in an international event on how we can 'Make Black Lives Matter' through renewing the building of a worldwide anti-racist movement.

A webinar on race, COVID-19 and the vaccine will provide an opportunity to hear more about drug development and safety what the vaccine does to your immune system and the day-to-day impact of the vaccine program.

Join the World Against Racism global rally to mark the United Nations Day Against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerances

You can sign up to register to attend the events you wish to participate in the link below.

Timetable for events

Friday 19 March

Racism a Trade Union response
Time: 14.00 - 15.00
Members from the TUC Anti-Racism Taskforce will explore how we can use the Black Lives Matters campaign's momentum to make trade unions more effective at fighting racism and more inclusive for Black workers.

Making Black Lives Matter
Time: 16.00-17.30   
An international panel of speakers from Brazil, India, Palestine, South Africa and the USA will discuss how we can reinvigorate and rebuild and  international anti-racism movement

Art Exhibition Launch
Time 18.00-19.30    
Our annual TUC Black Workers' exhibition is moving online and will be launched in conjunction with 'Artists Union of England'.  An opportunity to see and hear from young creative and radical Black artists taking part in the exhibition.

Workshops

We are running four workshops that will give you a chance to input into the TUC Anti-Racism Taskforce work. The workshops will be led by members from each of the TUC Anti-Racism Taskforce workstreams and provide an opportunity to discuss questions on each area in breakout rooms.  Numbers for the workshops will be limited, so if you want to get involved sign up as soon as possible.

Saturday 20 March

Workshop One – Organising will explore

Time: 10.00 -11.15 

  • How can trades unions better recruit Black workers into the labour movement, including those in the private sector, and foreground the voices and experiences of Black workers?
  • How can trades unions organise and recruit by using existing connections that Black members have to grow the movement?
  • How can trades unions advance anti-racism political education, including seizing the opportunities of industrial disputes to learn by doing, and to ensure that anti-racism permeates culture as well as actions generally?

Workshop Two-  Negotiating and Collective Bargaining

Time: 11.30 - 12.45

  • What issues should trade unions negotiators focus on to deal with racial injustice in the workplace?
  • What campaigns and public policy wins can collective bargaining for race achieve?
  • What is needed to equip workplace reps and full-time officers to negotiate race equality with employers effectively?

Workshop  Three - Public Policy

Time: 14.00 - 15.15

  • How can labour law be strengthened to tackle racial injustice at work?
  • How can trades unions build a case to hold the government to account for its failings towards Black workers during the Covid-19 crisis to learn lessons?
  • What legislative change is needed, and how can we build a National Strategy to tackle employment inequality

Workshop Four  - Black Unions and Representation

Time: 15.30 -16.45

  • What are the barriers and solutions to Black representation in the democratic structures of trades unions?
  • How can unions better engage their members and staff on taking forward racial justice within our structures, and spread best practice to employers?
  •  A maximum number of ten participants will be a put in each breakroom.  Therefore, each workshop's maximum number of participants will depend on the number of available facilitators for each workshop.

Sunday 21 March                 

Race, COVID–19 and the Vaccine

Time: 14.00 – 15.30   

A panel of experts will inform you about Vaccine development, how the Covid -19  vaccine works with the immune system and how the vaccination program is impacting BME communities.

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