Challenging Racism in the Workplace

13 – 14 October 2025

UNISON Northern, 140 - 150 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6TH

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Closing date: 26 September 2025

This course is aimed at branch activists that are involved in negotiations with their employer and hold a position in the branch that has the remit and authority to take forward a branch strategy and action plan on challenging racism in the workplace.

This course is designed to familiarise UNISON branch officers and workplace reps with the key elements of the Equality Act 2010, including the duty it places on employers to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. The course will also help branch officers and workplace reps to develop a branch action plan for raising race equality issues with employers.

  • Challenging racism in the workplace is central to UNISON’s work.
  • Information gathering and monitoring is vital in the fight against race discrimination.
  • Some causes of discrimination are less obvious than others, but their impact are just as deeply felt.
  • Equality legislation provides us with the means to hold employers to account.
  • A strong organising response is needed to fight race discrimination.
  • Anti-racism should be an integral part in our day to day campaigning, negotiating and recruitment. This course aims to help activists achieve this.
  • The Equality Act covers the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital, or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
  • An employer must not discriminate in recruitment, treatment of people at work, dismissal and post dismissal matters, such as references. These are called ‘prohibited actions’ or ‘acts of discrimination’.
  • In carrying out their functions public authorities must have due regard to their duty to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity.

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  • This information helps us to locate and verify your membership record, add your name to the training database and update your membership details.
  • This information helps us to locate and verify your membership record, add your name to the training database and update your membership details.
  • This information helps us to locate and verify your membership record, add your name to the training database and update your membership details.
  • We need this information incase we need to contact you about the course and update your membership details.
  • This information helps us to locate and verify your membership record, add your name to the training database and update your membership details.
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