The National Black Members Conference was held from 9 to 11 May 2025, in Brighton and one of our Branch Stewards attended and provided the following report.
Luqman Uddin Workplace Steward/Representative
I have attended the Black Members Conference for the last three years and have always found it inspiring. It is full of energy, enthusiasm and fun and would like to encourage any member who hasn’t attended to put themselves forward for 2026.
The conference is organised by UNISON’s National Black Members Self Organised Group. According to UNISON, there are over 185,000 Black members in the union.
The conference was scheduled originally for January 2025 in Llandudno, but it was cancelled at short notice due to burst water pipes that shut down much of the venue. It was then rescheduled to take place from 9th – 11th May 2025 at the Brighton Centre, Brighton & Hove.
The conference brought together Black members and activists from across the UK’s public service union. It provided a space for Black members to meet, share experiences, build solidarity and set priorities. We debated policy motions relevant to Black workers in public services (health, local government, social care, etc.). As well as attending the conference there were fringe meetings where we discussed structural issues affecting Black workers: racism, discrimination, representation, pay and conditions, and intersectional issues (disability, migrant status, gender, etc.).
31 motions (including amendments) were submitted, of which 20 motions were presented and debated, and the ones debated were passed.
One of the headline outcomes: the conference passed a motion calling for caste to be recognised in the UK’s anti-discrimination framework. Specifically, they urged amending the Equality Act 2010 so that “caste” is a protected characteristic.
The motion also committed UNISON to work with the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA) to develop training for activists on caste discrimination and harassment.
The union’s race discrimination inquiry (looking at feedback from Black members February–April 2024) was presented at conference, with recommendations around training, legal advice, complaints procedures and the union being more of an organising union.
A motion on young Black workers & mental health was passed: recognising that young Black workers often feel unsupported, isolated, and may face racism and mental health issues as a result. The motion commits to generating bargaining guidance and support.
Motions also covered wellbeing of Black members (including in relation to Long COVID), Black disabled workers, and the intersections of race, gender, disability, and migrant status.
The conference heard about the rising far right/populist threats (e.g., from parties like Reform UK) and the impact on Black workers, especially migrants.
There was a focus on the cost-of-living crisis, pay, jobs and insecure work, particularly affecting Black workers. Although much of the detailed motion work on cost of living appears in earlier years, the context was still present. The passing of the caste discrimination motion is a significant policy outcome: UNISON positions itself as a lead in the UK labour movement on this topic. The race discrimination inquiry report sets out commitments which the union has pledged to follow up. The motions give branches and the national committee a work programme: training development, bargaining guidance, activism in branches, supporting migrant and young workers, and tackling representation and discrimination.
UNISON General Secretary, Christina McAnea gave a speech to delegates on the final day of the conference, which highlighted the union’s work fighting Reform, standing up for migrant workers and battling race discrimination, you can read the speech here ‘The union is your shield against discrimination’ | Article | News | UNISON National
