TUC march race cuts

Saturday’s Trade Union Congress demonstration march against the cuts was huge success except where race and anti racism are concerned says Lee Jasper.

With crowds far exceeding the expected numbers the clear message to the Government is that if you are going to pursue this reckless agenda of dismantling the NHS, cutting thousands of public sector jobs and closing vital services then you will do so in the face of widespread opposition, and yesterday was just the start.

The numbers were impressive and no doubt there are those in the TUC high command who will be patting each other on the back and rightly so. The turnout was truly a fantastic achievement.

As I marched with a contingent from Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts, (BARAC) Latin American Community Against the Cuts, AJAMU, NUS Black Students Campaign it was evident that black people were well represented on the march itself.

Of course thousands of black people will be disproportionately affected by these cuts not just in terms of cuts to jobs and services but the inevitable rise in racism that we are witnessing in an attempt by sections of government and right wing press to scapegoat black communities.

That’s why it was a huge disappointment to see a row of white faces standing with TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber at the start of the demonstration. For a TUC movement that has a large number of black workers within its ranks, with a black voluntary sector out in force alongside activist organisations such as BARAC the TUC failed to represent the diversity of its own movement.

The UK is a rainbow nation, the working classes particularly so and for a historic march taking place in the most diverse city in Europe the fact that the TUC commitment to anti racism was not reflected in the starting line-up sent all the wrong messages to the wider public and too black workers in the Labour movement.

The TUC failure in this regard might be seen as an unthinking error. But there is an increasing level of evidence that the issue of anti racist practice and commitment to black self-organisation and representation within the TUC and Labour movement has been sidelined, reflecting a general and growing trend within the country itself. Actions on issues of race and anti racism have dropped off the priority political agenda for the TUC.

This is despite the excellent work of some Unions such as the PCS who are regarded as an exemplar union on these issues and whose General Secretary, Mark Serwotka remains uniquely progressive on these issues.

The TUC claimed the march was going to be a unique coalition between community groups and trade unionists reflecting all those communities are being most affected by spending cuts.

First and foremost, the fact that black workers are being hugely disproportionately affected by these cuts alongside black communities who represent the poorest sections of our nation, added to the reality that scapegoating and racism is on the rise should have resulted in the TUC adopting a clear and resolute anti racist approach to these cuts. It did not.

Although the March its self was fabulously diverse once we arrived at Hyde Park the vast majority of speakers were white men and virtually no one mentioned racism or the fact that their employers were unfairly targeting black workers. No one mentioned that black workers are taking the biggest hit in terms of redundancies and black communities in terms of cuts to Council services. Independent black organisations or community groups were largely excluded only offered tokenistic speaking slots on a platform that was overwhelming white.

Racist welfare benefit reform was not mentioned, black unemployment was not mentioned, and disproportionate impact was not mentioned. Government failure to adhere to equality legislations was not mentioned; the rise of the EDL was not mention nor was attacks on multiculturalism save for the contribution of the one black man who spoke at Hyde Park Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote.

Simon did a fantastic job and gave an incredibly rousing speech but OBV as a charity takes no position on the cuts as required by charity law and his view as communicated to the TUC was that BARAC with a national network in 7 cities and representing thousands of black people should be speaking in his stead. Woolley went on to name check BARAC myself and my co chair Zita Holbourne for the work we have done in mobilising black communities to attend the march.

In the run up to the March many representations were made on behalf of BARAC from Trade Unions, individuals and community organisations to the office of Brendan Barber requesting that BARAC be allowed to speak. None received even the simple courtesy of a reply.

However, the TUC march was indeed a wonderful event and there is much we can congratulate ourselves on. But the sad reality is that the TUC consciously decided to minimise black involvement and representation and it is my view that this is reflective of the fact that some of the TUC high command and affiliated Unions are failing to challenge racism in their own organisations and effectively represent black workers facing workplace discrimination.

Lee Jasper
Co-Chair of BARAC.