EMRAW
Outline of the researchThis ESRC-funded research project entitled “The influence of identity, ‘community’ and social networks on ethnic minority representation at work”. The research project explored the under-researched relationships between differentially racialised workers (defined in case for support) and community groups, and mainstream collective and representative organisations (i.e. trade unions) from the perspective of workers from these communities and in the context of how they accessed support for employment-related issues.
The research team is Dr Jane Holgate (Principal Investigator), Janroj Keles, Dr Leena Kumarappan of Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University and Prof. Anna Pollert of Bristol Business School, University of the West of England.
The research began by asking to whom do ethnic minority workers turn for help, support and representation when they had problems at work. Was it people in the workplace community (managers, colleagues, trade unions) or people in support organisations in the local community (e.g. CABx, law centres) or did they use social networks within their ethnic communities (family, friends) or other forms of community organisations (e.g. faith, cultural, political, social)?
We considered the role that different collective organisations (inside and outside work; formal and informal) played in promoting social inclusion, exploring the extent to which ‘communities’ contribute to the collective empowerment and/or individual representation of workers.
Since the 1970s, there has been little academic work on differentially racialised workers, black and minority ethnic communities and their relationships with trade unions and/or other work-related organisations. Yet racism, discrimination in the labour market, migration and social exclusion are issues that have become increasingly central to social science and politics. Government has sought to address these issues through a public policy and legislative framework and trade unions have tried to do so through campaigns and internal policies, but there is still very little data on how minority ethnic workers experience and deal with problems experienced in the workplace
Trade unions are the most significant representative and collective organisations in the UK, representing some six and a half million members, of which six per cent are from BME groups. Arguably, as major institutions of civil society and key agents of inclusivity in and beyond the workplace, trade unions are uniquely placed to work with differentially racialised workers and BME communities who are seeking to challenge social exclusion. Yet, although some unions have made inroads into forming alliances and coalitions with BME community groups, to date, these initiatives are few (and very new) and have been little analysed in the UK. Recent research indicates that there is scope for trade unions to develop such relationships, remove barriers to engagement and to develop agendas that challenge social exclusion but as yet these ideas have not been developed.
Research has shown that tackling social exclusion requires that all members of communities have equality of access to work, housing, services and political participation. In the context of work, this remains an aspiration. The government’s Ethnic Minority Employment Task Group notes that, despite the narrowing of the pay gap between black and minority ethnic groups and the rest of the population, there is a considerable difference in earnings within and between the two groups.
Previous research has shown that some differentially racialised workers turn to informal in-work communities, anti-racist organisations including Black women’s groups, external community-based organisations, faith-based groups, national charities, and informal self-organisation in trade unions, as alternative sources of support and guidance to trade unions. Other research has also noted, but not investigated, the importance of ‘community’ to different groups of BME workers and the steps taken by key actors to demonstrate mutual benefits of community and trade union joint working. Our intention in the research was to explore this ideas in more detail
The research was designed to investigate the way that collective identities are constructed among minority ethnic workers in distinct and different ways and explore what impact this has on their ability to access support for workplace problems. We asked to what extent does identity construction become important among minority ethnic groups, particularly among those who look inward for help and support? How are ‘communities of coping’ or new forms of migrants’ shared social capital formed and sustained? In addressing these questions, we have been able to considerd if, how and why people use social networks based on identification with communities to access work-related advice.
This research was underpinned by a theoretical framework that conceptualises the experience of work as routed in class relationships, though mediated by ‘race’, gender and other aspects of identity.
The focus on individuals’ strategies of seeking support was used to explore how individual agency could be transformed into collective agency. We also focused on how official discourses and practices of ‘empowering’ some ‘community representatives’ are viewed from ‘below’, i.e. the individuals whose communities they are supposed to represent. In this context we will explored notions of solidarity, accountability and representation (and the lack of these).
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