UNISON's response: standing up and stepping in

UNISON proudly counts over 5,000 Black and Migrant Workers amongst its members.

They are care workers, nurses, classroom assistants and a host of other occupations delivering key public services.

They are here because our government, social care providers and public services invited them to fill the critical shortages in these vital services.  

Last week started on a high, with our Fair Visa campaign rally. Our activists felt elated after a loud and colourful demo where valuable contribution of black and migrant workers to our health and social services system was publicly acknowledged by the Health Minister and some political parties at Stormont and where we felt our representatives would stand with us against the British government’s shameful immigration proposals.

But our rally did not feature in the news, and barely appeared in the social media feeds of the rest of the week.

As the news broke out that same night of the brutal attack that took place in north Belfast, we all knew what was to come. The racists did not disappoint… this attack and the videos of the attack were the perfect hook for their hatred. All the good feelings from our Monday lunchtime rally evaporated in the smoke of the subsequent  pogrom.

Our members, like all black and brown people in Belfast and beyond, were terrified.

UNISON’s response: One for all

But the horror of the following night showed once again the worst and the best of humanity. The solidarity and the courage of the women of Anaka who stepped in to rescue people from frantic mobs was powerful, inspiring but also contagious.

Offers of help started to pour in from across UNISON; from  branches,  activists and members. Allies and friends of the union reached out. Many employers wanted to know what they could do.  

Following lessons from the events of last June, some corners of our union had systems in place and were ‘ready to go’. We concentrated our efforts on meeting with employers to secure protections in work and coming to and from work.  

However the scale and intensity of the attacked meant it had to go much further.

As a union we reached out to our Black and Migrant Worker membership and asked if they needed immediate support. Branches organised workplace and home visits to check on members. We worked in partnership with employers and with the Health Trusts; many workplaces organised emergency beds to give staff the option to stay on after their shift.

Inspired by what was already happening through the Anaka Collective, PPR and Glór Na Mona and others, UNISON pulled together its own network of activists from branches, staff, volunteers to join the network of food drops, lifts and friendly phone calls to a large terrified section of our frontline workers.   

As well moving people across the city to safety, most of what we did was to simply offer a friendly face to our members, calling in to let them know that they are part of a community who will look out for them.

This cannot stop now.

No bigots. No racists. No fascists.

The networks that have been established across our city’s are the most inspiring show of solidarity that we have seen in a very long time.

While for many this may simply be what you do: you show up when it’s needed. But this has been on another level.

The linked up nature of this action across all activists, their friends and families and our partners in human rights organisations like PPR has meant our reach was far greater and our message far louder.

Fascism is not welcome here.

These networks have fast forwarded years of organising, changed the narrative and displayed what genuine “integration” looks like when people are not only welcomed but feel part of a community.

These networks will remain part of the fabric of our organising efforts; they give us hope that we are turning the tide on an issue that felt insurmountable.