Catalogue Number
NMLH.2025.26.4
Object Name
poster
Title
'Black Workers. A TUC Charter for Equality of Opportunity. Equal opportunities within trade unions'
Place
UK
People
Trades Union Council (TUC)
Description
A white poster with red headings and black text. The title is 'Black Workers. A TUC Charter for Equality of Opportunity. Equal
opportunities within trade unions'. To the right of the title is a photo of two casually dressed men, one white and one Black, hugging and laughing. The A3 poster is a two column checklist of ways that TUC branches should 'examine their own structures and organisations' to ensure racial equality. There is a red band footer which reads 'TUC Fighting Racism'.
This poster was designed by TUC (Trades Union Congress) and delivered to workplaces with TUC affiliation. It's goal was to encourage workplaces and trade union branches to evaluate and improve their commitment to racial equality within the workplace and within the union itself. A trade union is a democratic organisation made up of workers. Organising collectively as a union gives workers a stronger position when challenging employers or the government to change unfair, discriminatory or dangerous working practices, raise wages, or settle grievances between individual workers and their employer.
The policies of trade unions are voted on by their membership at annual conferences. While democratic, this has sometimes led to unions adopting racist practices. In the early to mid twentieth century, British trade unions often supported and in some cases insisted on 'colour bars' banning people of colour from working in union affiliated jobs including coal mining and bus conducting. British fascists also infiltrated unions to advocate for racist and anti-immigration policies throughout the post-war era.
Unions had to fight to become less racist. The TUC has been condemning anti-Black racism since the 1958 Notting Hill riots, but only began taking meaningful steps to challenge racism in the union in the 1970s, voting to begin creating anti-racism educational materials like this poster in 1973.
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