BLACK AND ETHNIC CONFERENCE MEET BY ZOOM

This year’s black and ethnic minority members advisory conference (BEMMAC) took place by way of zoom this year. Conference elected a new chair Oluwarotimi Ajayi and a new secretary Jennifer Aggrey- Fynn to carry on the work of the committee between conference along with the advisory committee itself. Incoming chair Ajayi said that he and the committee were looking forward to representing the interests of black and ethnic members of the union and to make sure that their voices are heard. “We believe that the work of BEMMAC and our other Equalities groups play an integral part in the advancement of our union,” he said. Conference delegates also backed a Paddington branch calling on the union to organise an annual event celebrating black and ethnic labour movement icons, an event first called for by the 2017 BEMMAC meeting. As a result conference called on the union to arrange a national event in October 2021 to celebrate the life and work of Claudia Jones and to invite historian David Horsely, author of the new publication ‘The political life and times of Claudia Jones’ as guest speaker. Conference also called for the stepping up of the justice for cleaners campaign and other outsourced workers such as ABM cleaners on London Underground. Delegates also called for the profile to be raised of black and ethnic cleaner reps by ensuring branches and regional councils allocate slots for these activists to report back. Delegates also discussed the issues around mental health and called on the union to recognise how experiencing racism could be stressful and negatively impact the overall health and mental health specifically of members, reps and activists. Conference recognised that a growing body of research indicates that those exposed to racism may be more likely to experience mental health problems such as psychosis and depression. To remedy any shortfall in mental health awareness, conference called on the union to review its policy and provide additional resources to deal with the effects of racism. Delegates also once more nominated Liverpool to be the venue for next year’s conference which will hopefully be held in person. RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2021 :: RMTnews 15 New RMT black and ethnic minority members advisory committee chair Oluwarotimi Ajayi BLACK AND ETHNIC CONFERENCE MEET BY ZOOM Delegates call for stepping up the justice for cleaner campaign and to act on issues around mental health Jennifer AggreyFynn