Monday, August 31, 2020
MPs to be forced to take anti-racist training
Members of the House of Commons are often described as some of the most sophisticated voters in the UK, and yet judging by the behaviour of many of them, either this description is a myth, or they are so sure of themselves that they think they can get away with anything.
Why else would there be so many reports of sexual harassment in the workplace of the Houses of Parliament, and why else would it be necessary to introduce unconscious bias training for MPs and to set up a group to tackle racism in parliament after staff raised concerns about discrimination.
The Times reports that senior members of the Commons Executive Board, including John Benger, the clerk of the House, have expressed solidarity with staff from ethnic minority backgrounds and pledged to make improvements:
Mr Benger is chairing a cross-parliamentary group established in response to the Black Lives Matter movement to help to tackle discrimination and reduce inequality in the Commons.
Staff have submitted evidence for two inquiries into bullying and harassment: the Dame Laura Cox Report in the Commons and one by Naomi Ellenbogen, QC, in the Lords, but are frustrated by the lack of progress since.
The Cox report, which came out in 2018, said that several minority staff members had “reported racist abuse, or being frequently challenged as to their right to be in particular parts of the estate”, and that some had made allegations of sexual and racial harassment.
The Times understands that three senior black members of staff have left parliament’s strategic estates unit since the start of last year amid concerns about racism.
Unconscious bias training is being piloted for MPs. Training has been offered to Commons staff since 2016 and its contents were reviewed in May.
“Mandatory unconscious bias training has been in place in parliament for years now and it has not made any difference to the racism experienced by black staff,” one former black member of staff told The Times. “The Dame Laura Cox report should have sparked radical change but for black staff it did not.”
Research carried out by Parlireach, parliament’s minority workplace network, and published in February found that minority staff were more likely to be challenged to show their security passes. The report cited cases of senior managers “getting people’s names wrong or mixing them up with other BAME colleagues”.
If the House of Commons cannot get its act together how does it expect other workplaces to do so?
Why else would there be so many reports of sexual harassment in the workplace of the Houses of Parliament, and why else would it be necessary to introduce unconscious bias training for MPs and to set up a group to tackle racism in parliament after staff raised concerns about discrimination.
The Times reports that senior members of the Commons Executive Board, including John Benger, the clerk of the House, have expressed solidarity with staff from ethnic minority backgrounds and pledged to make improvements:
Mr Benger is chairing a cross-parliamentary group established in response to the Black Lives Matter movement to help to tackle discrimination and reduce inequality in the Commons.
Staff have submitted evidence for two inquiries into bullying and harassment: the Dame Laura Cox Report in the Commons and one by Naomi Ellenbogen, QC, in the Lords, but are frustrated by the lack of progress since.
The Cox report, which came out in 2018, said that several minority staff members had “reported racist abuse, or being frequently challenged as to their right to be in particular parts of the estate”, and that some had made allegations of sexual and racial harassment.
The Times understands that three senior black members of staff have left parliament’s strategic estates unit since the start of last year amid concerns about racism.
Unconscious bias training is being piloted for MPs. Training has been offered to Commons staff since 2016 and its contents were reviewed in May.
“Mandatory unconscious bias training has been in place in parliament for years now and it has not made any difference to the racism experienced by black staff,” one former black member of staff told The Times. “The Dame Laura Cox report should have sparked radical change but for black staff it did not.”
Research carried out by Parlireach, parliament’s minority workplace network, and published in February found that minority staff were more likely to be challenged to show their security passes. The report cited cases of senior managers “getting people’s names wrong or mixing them up with other BAME colleagues”.
If the House of Commons cannot get its act together how does it expect other workplaces to do so?
