In a busy day, where Theresa May made a grab for working-class votes by announcing a series of proposals to address workers’ rights, did an ITV Facebook Live Q&A and met some disgruntled members of the public, she also decided to commit to tackling racial inequality. How? By requiring firms to publish data on “racial pay disparities” between people doing the same job if the Conservatives win the election.
There are about 20 things wrong with this narrow approach to racial inequalities, but let me focus on the top three – it’s a drop in the ocean, it’s ironic given the party’s devastating public spending cuts and, finally, does nothing about the structural drivers of inequality. Like so much of what we are hearing from May, it is tokenistic and upholds the status quo. If you want to tackle racial inequalities, it is simply not enough to want black and white to be treated equally – you have to recalibrate the economy.
Don’t get me wrong – pay disparities do exist, between women and men, and of course between ethnic minority groups and the white majority. The thing is, when it comes to race, minority ethnic groups being paid less for doing the same job is not the pressing issue. Why? Because nearly two-fifths of black and Asian workers are working in low-paid industries, with more than one in 10 on temporary contracts. At this end of the labour market, where ethnic minorities are disproportionately found, pay inequality is virtually nonexistent. The ethnic, immigrant and white working class all get paid a low wage. They are all in it together, and since 2010 they have all found their lives more precarious.
A more telling metric would be the differences in pay between groups within the same company or institution – this would quickly highlight how ethnic minorities are too often the cleaners and not the people in charge. Take a visit to the Houses of Parliament and you’ll see what I mean. Figures on work progression would also be helpful, as the report on ethnic diversity in the workplace by Baroness McGregor-Smith suggested, we have to tackle the barriers that mean ethnic minorities are less likely to get promoted.
If May really did see race inequality as “a burning injustice” the first thing she would do is to stop public spending cuts. A study by the Women’s Budget Group finds that by 2020 tax and benefit changes mean low-income black and Asian women will lose around £2,000 a year from their household incomes, twice as much as low-income white men. The irony of a political leader saying that they care about a group when their party has done so much to harm their fortunes should slap us all in the face. Hard.
And finally – May, like so many others, has divorced the issue of social equality from greater economic equality. Given an economic system that prioritises the rich, that churns out low-paid jobs by the hour, and that gives workers very little power, ethnic minorities will always be punished. Of course we should tackle discrimination, but if we don’t adjust the economic system we will leave all the chairs in the same place, essentially aiming only to equalise misery across racial groups. It’s an approach that says “as long as black people can be rich too, we shouldn’t try to change the rules of the economic system”. As such, progress can only ever be piecemeal.
Of course, it’s not all about economics. To achieve equality we also need to change people’s attitudes to others in a way that humanises all groups and emphasises the things we have in common. But here too, May’s actions are contrary to her stated aims. During her Conservative party speech last year she told the country: “If you believe you’re a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere. You don’t understand what the very word ‘citizenship’ means.” In that one line, May outcast so many of us who feel British but have multiple identities and country connections.
I’m not far into my career but honestly, I’m already fed up of saying the same thing again and again, but here it is: politicians, if you want to do something about race inequality, do something about low pay. Do something about the lack of representation of ethnic minorities among our politicians, our judges and our journalists. Do something about growing child poverty. Do something to ensure we all – regardless of race – have access to good schools and health systems. Do something about extortionate employment tribunal fees that stop ethnic minorities from taking employers to court and getting justice. Do something about wealth at the top which has stalled social mobility. Do something about the hate-filled press.
If you’re not willing to do these things, then don’t insult us with gimmicks designed for political point scoring, not delivering equality.
