EHRC staff strike: Black staff could be hit hard

Unions representing staff at the Equality and Human Rights Commission have argued that Black staff could be disproportionately affected by planned budget cuts and compulsory redundancies.

During an initial assessment of who might go and who might stay two thirds of Black staff failed the restructuring selection process, according to the PCS union. Many of these staff would be the Commission’s lower paid staff.

The Government have demanded the Commission make a 25% cut to its budget, and negotiations between staff and managers about where exactly those cuts should be made have broken down.

The Government has put the EHRC in a very difficult situation by demanding cuts when their work is needed even more than ever. The Government’s own data show, for example, that race hate crimes are at astonishingly high levels since Brexit, and the gains our society made tackling structural race inequality are once again being rolled back in areas such as, the Criminal Justice System, and employment, in part due to the years of austerity and lack of focus on tacking race inequality .

But whilst I have much sympathy with EHRC bosses and their fiscal plight, they must do everything within their powers to ensure Black staff are not disproportionately affected.

When I was at EHRC commissioner facing a similar predicament I took a very personal interest in fighting for the rights of all the staff, including making sure that Black staff were not unfairly treated.

Back then cuts occurred but with sheer tenacity we managed to persuade the Government to find more funds to keep more excellent staff who care so much about having a more equal society.

This dispute is not just about the Commission it’s also about ensuring our society can be freer from the worst discriminatory practices.

Simon Woolley