A significant component of the WaR project is to provide resources for interested parties to help in their fight against institutional racism. This section of the site provides those resources, including links to anti-racism websites, websites for trade unions and community organisations and other materials such as pictures and documents. These resources are organised by country. (this needs rewriting...)
Trade unions, anti-racist, church, migrant and community organisations have been working against racism in Great Britain for many decades. They have worked together successfully against draconian measures against refugees and asylum seekers, against racist harassment and attacks from the far right, and for fairness and equality at the workplace and throughout society.
After the murder of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993, British unions formed the Stephen Lawrence Task Force to fight together against institutional racism. Unions work closely with the official Commission for Racial Equality, and with a variety of anti-racist organisations, including the National Assembly against Racism, Amnesty International, and the Trade Union Friends of Searchlight.
The Trades Union Congress, Britain's national trade union condederation, fully supports our project. Its race equality officer, Roger McKenzie, is a member of our UK Advisory Group. The TUC has held annual black workers' conferences since the 1990s (see photo of the 2001 conference) and set up the Stephen Lawrence Task Group to tackle the problem of institutional racism both at the workplace and within the unions themselves. It has taken part in national campaigns in support of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers' rights, and against the rise of the far right. At its 2003 congress, the TUC revealed the results of its first Equality Audit, examining the policies and practices of all affiliates around equality issues, including racial equality.
The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) fully supports our project and is working with us in our first case study, of the passenger transport sector. For many years Britain's biggest union and now in third place, the T&G was a pioneer in addapting race equality policies and setting up self organisation for black workers (as can be seen in this photo of the Region One Black Workers' Committee in the early 1990s). Its outgoing general secretary, Bill Morris, led the campaign against asylum vouchers and was the first black elected general secretary of a major British union.
UNISON fully supports our project and will work with us on our third case study, of the public health sector. Its black workers' officer, Wilf Sullivan (see photo) is a member of our UK Advisory Group. UNISON was formed in 1992 through a merger of three public sector unions and is now Britain's largest union. Its founding congress adopted a radical new constitution guaranteeing the full representation of black and ethnic minority members, along with women, gay and lesbian, and disabled members. It has led campaigns against racism at both the local and national levels, including recent campaigns against far-right candidates in local council elections.
SIPTU is the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union. As Ireland's largest trade union, we aim to ensure that our members derive the maximum benefit from the economic and social progress of our country – based upon our core values of solidarity, equity, equality and democracy.
