CSP reps recognise discrimination in the workplace

Many of you will have come across a CSP steward in your working life, or you may have been in the role at some point in your career.

Your stewards perform their role in every type of working environment: most obviously across the entire health sector but also within universities, industry, non-profit organisations, the Ministry of Defence and many other workplaces besides. The steward’s role is vital in supporting CSP members at work. Without them society has no voice in the workplace and no way of knowing what problems members are facing. 

As a part of our commitment to the the EDB strategy and tackling discrimination at work, CSP staff members from the Employment Relations and Unions Services (ERUS) directorate designed and delivered comprehensive training to hundreds of CSP stewards.

The training, which was delivered in June and July at venues across the UK, aimed to: 

• Increase stewards knowledge and understanding of equality legislation and policies. Raise awareness of discrimination in all its forms, micro-aggressions, unconscious biases, institutional discrimination, systemic biases and awareness of intersectionality.  
• Highlight awareness of employer and employee duties in relation to EDB and how to raise EDB issues. 
• To develop skills to represent members and develop a deeper understanding of the role of stewards when raising member voices and supporting them through EDB issues.  

Stewards were asked to complete a pre and post cause course activity – an online learning tool covering Equality Law and Legislation, giving stewards an understanding of the foundations of how this applies to workplaces across the UK. The day itself consisted of a range of activities including an Equality Law quiz, discussions and learning on areas such as micro-aggressions. The core element of the day gave stewards an opportunity to take an in-depth look into EDB case studies during which they were asked to:

• Recognise acts of discrimination both overt and non-overt, indirect and direct discrimination.
• Identify any micro-aggressions, unconscious biases, institutional discrimination, systemic biases.
• Identify what actions on an organisational basis they may need to take.

On the importance of training for stewards, we spoke to CSP regional steward and staff side chair, Joe Baker and CSP steward Ffion Burke. 

Ffion said: ‘I find the CSP training days very important for my learning and development as a CSP steward. This training in particular was crucially important to understand and recognise the issues of discrimination in the workplace, a topic that is not covered in enough detail as part of being an NHS staff member. I have now put together an in-service training to present back to my current rotational team. I am looking forward to empowering my colleges and members to recognise discrimination in the workplace.”

Joe said: ‘Discrimination is an extremely important topic, like many EDB issues, this should not be seen as an individual topic but one that transcends across everything we do. Having an increased awareness of this is key. I will be able to apply learning from this training to my practice in supporting members, being more aware of the vast range of discrimination and help to educate myself and others about to work towards a more equitable and fairer workplace.’ 

More information

• What you can do
• Diversity networks
• Equality and Diversity toolkit publication

Answers: 1. 2010. 2. Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage, civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, orientation. 3. Direct, indirect, victimisation, harassment