Lewisham Council signs UNISON’s charter to tackle racism

Lewisham Council today (Wednesday) became the latest local authority in London to sign up to UNISON’s anti-racism charter.

 By signing the charter, the authority is making a commitment to delivering a programme of initiatives promoting a more diverse workforce, addressing the impact of racism on staff and better reflecting the communities it serves.

Lewisham Council is the 13th local authority in the capital to sign the charter. It will regularly review its strategy to improve racial equality and put in place a policy to achieve that.

UNISON London regional secretary Jo Galloway said: “This is a significant step by Lewisham Council, which should help address any inequalities faced by staff at work.

“Racism has no place in public services. The union will continue working with the council to ensure these commitments are fully implemented.”

Mayor of Lewisham Brenda Dacres said: “We’re proud to sign UNISON’s anti-racism charter, which reflects our council’s values of inclusion and fairness.

“Lewisham is a proudly diverse borough, as is our workforce, and we have a long and distinguished history of standing up to racism and tackling inequality in all its forms. I’m pleased to put on record our commitment to being an anti-racist workplace and to work towards fulfilling the pledges it sets out.”

Notes to editors:

– A copy of UNISON London’s anti-racism charter can be found here

– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.

Media contacts:

Rosie Sammut M: 07958 063188 E: r.sammut@unison.co.uk

Rachael Johnson M: 07943 507317 E: r.johnson3@unison.co.uk