The Conservatives have been accused of leaving a “legacy of structural racism” in the UK jobs market, amid union demands to strengthen workers’ rights after a boom in insecure employment.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds had borne the brunt of insecure work, which rose almost three times faster than secure forms of employment under the Tories between 2011 and 2023.
It said BME workers were overrepresented in insecure jobs – such as zero-hours-contracts, low-paid self-employment and casual or seasonal work – in a sign that the British jobs market was suffering from “structural racism in action”.
Warning there was “racism at every stage of the labour market”, the union umbrella group said the number of BME workers in insecure work had increased at a much faster pace than for white workers under the Tories.
Analysing official jobs market figures, The TUC said there had been about 360,200 BME workers in insecure jobs in 2011, the first full calendar year after the Conservatives came to power, accounting for about 12.2% of the overall BME workforce.
However, this had more than doubled – increasing by more than half a million – to 878,800 by 2023, with the proportion of the BME workforce in insecure jobs increasing to almost 16.9% as a result.
“[The] Tory legacy of structural racism in the labour market means one in six BME workers are in insecure jobs,” the TUC said. The Conservatives have been approached for comment.
While all workers have faced a sharp rise in precarious employment over the past decade, the TUC said the increase was less pronounced for white workers. Over the same period it analysed, the number of white workers in insecure jobs rose from 2.8 million to 3.8 million. This accounted for a rise from 10.5% of the overall white workforce to 11.7%.
The TUC said BME workers faced discrimination in recruitment processes, fewer opportunities for training and development compared with white workers, and were more likely to be unfairly disciplined or forced into roles with less favourable terms and pay.
It said Labour’s promise to legislate within the first 100 days of government through an employment rights bill would help by banning zero-hours contracts and ensuring key workplace rights were available from day one on the job.
However, it comes as some business leaders attempt to lobby to water down the government proposals. Keir Starmer has faced criticism after signals emerged before the general election that his party was prepared to soften its approach to placate business concerns.
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In its first weeks in government, Labour committed in the king’s speech to an employment bill that would ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, end fire and rehire, and introduce basic employment rights from day one.
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, said: “Too many BME workers are trapped in low-paid, insecure jobs with limited rights and protections, and treated like disposable labour.
“Labour’s election victory is a welcome chance to tackle the systemic discrimination that holds BME workers back and to usher in a fresh start for hard-pressed working families. This is a historic opportunity to address inequality in the labour market and set the nation on course for a better future. We must grab it.”
A government spokesperson said: “Our employment rights bill, to be introduced within the first 100 days, represents the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation as it will modernise workplace rights and make work more secure.”
