From Inertia to Community Unionism
Trade Union Responses to Racism and Discrimination in the Workplace
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21488484 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Donia Touihri-Mebarek (Economic and Social Research Council, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Revue française de civilisation britannique (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0248-9015 • E-ISSN: 2429-4373 |
| Publisher | OpenEdition (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.4000/1452h |
| OpenAlex | W4411362938 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
Recent developments such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic have laid bare persistent racial disparities in the UK, especially in the workplace. Despite the presence of a battery of legislative and regulatory protections, ethnic minority groups are characterised by lower employment levels, occupational segregation in the lowest-paying and most insecure jobs, a substantial pay gap compared to the white majority and overall lower economic achievement. In this context, the role of trade unions in combatting racism and discrimination is worth questioning. This article analyses how issues of race and industrial relations have been and continue to be connected. Drawing on official reports from trade unions and available archives, it underlines the developing position of trade unions regarding issues of racism and discrimination. It first analyses how the labour market became racialised following the advent of significant non-white immigration, with racism pervasive in trade unions. It then highlights the role played by ethnic minority groups’ resistance and mobilisation to oppose racism and discriminatory practices in the workplace. Finally, it scrutinises how the unions’ changing attitudes and policy agenda on racism and discrimination foster renewal through strategic engagement in community unionism
Economics · Labour economics · Political science · Racism · Sociology · Trade union · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Social Policy and Reform Studies
A Different Hunger
Race and Racism in Britain
Colonial Immigrants in a British City
The racialization of labour in post-war Bradford
Striking Narratives
Trade unions and immigrant workers
Trade Unions and Relations with Black and Minority-Ethnic Community Groups in the United Kingdom
Organizing migrant workers
The role of Labour in the creation of a racist Britain
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |