The Labour Party has unveiled ambitious plans for a draft Race Equality Act, which would extend the right to equal pay to black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) workers, mirroring the existing protections for women.
This proposal aims to address longstanding inequalities in the workplace by phasing in the legal right and allowing time for employers to adjust their practices. Back pay would only be available from the time the law changes. In addition to covering BAME workers, this legislation would also protect disabled individuals, ensuring that claims of unequal pay based on ethnicity and disability are treated with the same rigor as those for gender equality. The proposed act underscores Labour's commitment to promoting fairness and justice for all members of society.
Moreover, Labour pledges to appoint a Windrush commissioner to oversee the compensation scheme, addressing concerns over its slow implementation. This commissioner would advocate for the Windrush generation and their families, ensuring their voices are heard as they seek redress for past injustices. Party leader Keir Starmer has previously pledged a Race Equality Act and established a taskforce chaired by Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
“Racism is actually sewn into the very fabric of the system itself”
Reacting to this plan of action, Dr Shabna Begum, Interim CEO of the Runnymede Trust said: “Labour’s Race Equality Act signals a much-needed pivot from the years of regressive and harmful policies we have seen under successive governments. We welcome many of the commitments including those that address discrimination in the workplace, the lack of representation in our school curricula, as well as the promise to enact the principle of dual discrimination - finally recognising the interactive ways that discrimination can operate.
“However, the plans announced today fall short of addressing the formidable scale of inequalities that shape the experiences and opportunities of people of colour. Committing to address structural racial inequality needs to understand that racism doesn’t simply arise when the system fails - but that racism is actually sewn into the very fabric of the system itself. Labour must use the Race Equality Act as a platform to commit to an ambitious, cross-governmental approach supported with sustained investment addressing the unacceptable - and in some cases worsening, disparities in health, housing, wealth and policing, faced by so many communities of colour.
“As we set out in ‘Our priorities for racial justice in Britain’, meaningful progress is entirely possible, and in a period where the collision of crises from the Covid-19 pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis has battered minority ethnic and working-class communities, we urge the Labour Party to see the Race Equality Act as a precursor to a much more ambitious programme, one that rejects the politics of division, unlocks the strength of Britain’s diverse communities and works to create the conditions for everyone to prosper, not just because it is good for economic growth - but because it is the right thing to do.”
Pharmacist Raj Aggarwal winner of the Race Equality Award said, “I wholeheartedly support the changes to the Race Equality Act. Pay equality on the grounds of race and disability should have been introduced at the same time as gender pay equality, so it's about time. In addition, I'm now working with the Royal Navy to improve its diversity and equality.”
Race disparity exists beyond the workplace
While the Race Equality Act seems like a smooth sailing ship theoretically, walking the talk might not come as easy. Over the past decade, inequality has increased, particularly affecting BAME families who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Additionally, they have borne the brunt of cuts to essential services such as the NHS, education, and the criminal justice system.
Analysis conducted by the TUC reveals a significant increase in the number of black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) workers in insecure employment, which more than doubled from 360,200 in 2011 to 836,300 in 2022.
The ongoing cost of living crisis has disproportionately affected people of colour, who were already facing higher levels of poverty. According to the Runnymede Trust, individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds are 2.5 times more likely to experience poverty compared to their white counterparts (see story p5).
To further worsen the issue, data from the census demonstrates that black individuals are nearly three times as likely as white individuals to reside in social housing. Moreover, households from minority ethnic backgrounds are more prone to homelessness or living in substandard, overcrowded, or inadequate housing conditions. The existing racial discrepancies cannot be dealt with by simple workplace policies as these problems are not limited to the workplace.
It also doesn’t help that while the Labour is formulating a plan to address racial disparities for the BAME community, the party has shown no interest in engaging with Indian diaspora, one of the communities it aims to assist. Despite the broad reach of ethnic newspapers, Labour appears to avoid interactions with Asian newspapers such as ours, the best equipped to send their message to the diaspora.
