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No place for racism
Page 37
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Overlooking racism is not an option. So how do you ensure you're running an unprejudiced
workplace? Miles Brignall reports.
IT'S HARD TO remember a more sickening case of racial harassment at work. During his two years with Bruce Transport Services, Rudolph Watson suffered a torrent of verbal abuse (CM 18 September). He was called nigger and sambo to his face and had "Black Git" scrawled on his work vest. He was stabbed with a chisel, tied to a moving fork-lift and wrapped in cling film by his fellow workers at the Tinsley-based waste disposal firm.
He was even made to look at pictures of apes and monkeys put up in the works canteen.
The ordeal left Watson, who had some learning difficulties, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and nightmares,But unlike most incidents of workplace racism his tormentors didn't get away with it.They are now in jail.and so is their boss.
When Gary Bolsover. Brian Briscoe and Kirk Lee appeared before Sheffield Crown Court in September they admitted harassment but denied it was racially motivated. Bolsover was jailed for 17 months; the other two got 15 months apiece.
However, the most significant thing about the case is that the company's managing director,Damion Gaunt, was also jailecleven though the court heard he was not directly responsible for the attacks. Sentencing him to the longest prison sentence (18 months) the judge said he had known that it was going on and had chosen to "turn a blind eye to his employees' actions".
This is probably the first time the man in charge has been sent to prison for allowing such incidents in a workplace. The treatment received by Watson was particularly shocking. The judge.in giving custodial sentences, was effectively issuing a warning to every boss: "Allow such things to go on in your organisation and it's as bad as committing the attack yourself." It's a message that should send shockwaves through every company with a multi-racial workforce.
Institutional racism?
According to the Campaign for Racial Equality (which helped Watson bring a successful civil action against his employer), companies that take the issue seriously from the start suffer fewer problems between staff.
"The best employers not only have clauses written into their disciplinary procedures, but make it clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated," says a CRE spokeswoman. "Most importantly, workers have to know that they will be supported if they make a complaint about a fellow worker — as victims,or witnesses."
Racism has changed It is not enough tor managers to keep an eye on the workers under them; in many instances they need to look at their own actions, particularly when it comes to recruitment.
The CRE reports: "The nature of racism in the workplace has become more covert over the past 20 years. People might not hold the same views as they did 20 years ago, but 1 still think in racial stereotypes. If you lool lot of organisations, the numbers of staff the ethnic minorities are well represented . lower grades, but they don't seem to pro into the managerial, or better-paid positio "Every time you discard a CV,you shoul yourself why are you doing that. Is it be the candidate is not properly qualified ot perhaps. for another reason?"
The haulage industry does not have a record in this area: witness recent prob at Ford and the absence of non-white fac truck cabs across the country If a job appl who is as well or better qualified than the pm given the job feels he was discriminated ag during recruitment, he can go to a tribunal If it decides you didn't give him thc because of his race, creed or colour you c have to pay compensation.
Finally, it is worth remembering tha workers can be discriminated against.The has acted for white Englishmen in Scotian well as Welsh, Irish and Jewish complain This might be the right time to take a good at what's going on around you. •