Social inclusion and representation strategies in the workplace and community: Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) workers and innovative trade union responses

Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities incorporate some of most disadvantaged and vulnerable workers within the UK labour market, a sector of the economy that is rapidly increasing in size and represents an ever-expanding challenge to trade unions in terms of representation. This report presents the findings from a second stage of empirical research conducted by Bradford University School of Management on behalf of Yorkshire and the Humber regional TUC. This series of reports seek to bring to the fore the issue of trade union renewal and the role of trade unions in respect of minority ethnic workers. The first report (Perrett and Martínez Lucio, 2006) focussed more specifically on union roles within the community and the potential for the development of alliances and highlighted a number of criticisms of trade unions strategies. This second report however identifies a range of innovative trade union approaches to the representation of vulnerable workers. It illustrates that despite the criticisms levelled in report one, unions are responding to the changing ethnic composition of the labour market.

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