More than a third of BMER workers in the UK have faced bullying, abuse and racial discrimination by employers, while BMER young people in particular are much more likely to be underemployed and to find themselves in precarious employment (such as zero hours contracts) subject to short-notice hour-reductions. These worrying facts together with the fast-rise of increasingly complex and devious employment practices have informed our objective to address the knowledge-gap BMER young people face upon entering employment and to provide them with the tools to empower themselves and their communities to take action against workplace exploitation and discrimination through collective action.
Day 1: Employment Rights
The first workshops will provide essential knowledge on employment rights and anti-discrimination law in the workplace.
Learning objectives:
- Unpacking the complex nature of employment status in the UK;
- Introducing employment legislation and rights;
- Understanding anti-discrimination law within employment.
Day 2: The Power of Collective Action
The second workshop aims to engage participants with workers’ campaigns and unions to emphasize the importance of collective action to address community-wide issues in employment.
Learning objectives:
- Contextualising BMER workers’ struggles within trade union movements throughout recent history;
- Gaining an understanding of collective bargaining power and skills through simulations;
- Exploring the ways community collective action has been used to tackle employment issues and how to form a successful campaign.
This project is aimed at young people from Black Minority Ethnic & Refugee (BMER) backgrounds between the age of 16 – 25. If you would like to receive more information on this project or are interested in collaborations please contact Ayah – Project Officer, or Mariam – Part-time Volunteer.