EME Task Force Stakeholder Group – Notes & Action Points

Monday, 26th July 2004.

Attendees

Nahid Majid	Chair
Leslie Manasseh	TUC & Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force
Symon Sentain	Marsh Farm NDC
Patricia Chale	HR Consultant
Gamini Gunawardena Jonathan Baldrey	G2 Investments
Jenny Duncan	Talent Recruitment
Collette Cork-Hurst	BT Ethnic Minority Network
Collette Cork-Hurst	TGWU
Rev Janet Murray	Community Family Challengers Project
Sarosh Zaiwalla	Solicitor, Zaiwalla & Co
Fiona Kane	CITB
Roger McKenzie	TUC
Marlene Robottom	Mulberry School
Eric Samuel	Food Enterprise Limited
Zahid Hamid	Black Community Forum
Ivan Corea	Diversity East London
Ada Maouakoh	ProDiverse
Monica Coke	West Midlands RDA
Afsana Shukur	DWP
Ian Albert	DWP
Leila Anderson	DWP

Apologies

Apologies were received from Annmarie Dixon-Barrow (Fullemploy), David Boyle (Dunraven School), Jeremy Crook (BTEG), Jo Thanki (Hindu Forum), Zaheer Khawaja (Ramada Trading Ltd), Wallen Matthie (Talawa), Charles Lauder (Talawa), Eddie Quaynor (CEED), Ros Griffiths (Employment Café), Adeeba Malik (QED UK)

1. Welcome & Introduction

Nahid Majid welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Members were asked to consider how they will all take a more active role in the stakeholder group.

2. Minutes and Action Points from Last Meeting:

Minutes and action points from last meeting were agreed - see Page 3 of minutes of 24th May that were circulated.

Key issues raised:

To avoid meetings on a Monday – Thursday or Friday is preferred
TUC/CBI have been contacted to ask for additional nominees for the stakeholder group
Other departmental stakeholder groups have been suggested for further contacts
Aim to produce things through the website e.g. minutes mailing lists, quarterly newsletter, information, contact details, etc.
Involve more people with the work of the group
Work with Stakeholder Group Chair (Nahid Majid) to arrange a series of presentations to accompany the stakeholder meetings and working groups
Further consideration to be given on involving Department of Health in work of the Stakeholder Group

3. Task Force Updates:

Task Force Secretariat supplied the following update

Task Force had agreed that future meetings will be issue focused, more strategic and held quarterly to allow time for policy development to be carried forward
Ensure that meetings are structured and have clear and precise objectives
Task Force agreed a structure for the Yearly Progress Report that would be published in November. The Report may be marked with a launch event that would involve stakeholders. The Report will include comment from Task Force members and stakeholders
Task Force received a report on progress across Government on the use of procurement as a lever to promote race equality
Task Force welcomed the first meeting of the Stakeholder Group and requested a report to its next meeting on the work the Group proposed to pursue

4. Task Force 1 Year On Presentation:

A TUC perspective by Leslie Manasseh, TUC General Council & Task Force member.

Leslie Manasseh outlined the challenging task ahead, emphasising how disadvantage is prevalent everywhere from the classroom to the office. He commended the innovative approach of the Task Force that, for the first time is co-ordinating five large departments to achieve their objectives to ensure the employment gap will be significantly narrowed between majority and minority ethnic groups.

Leslie acknowledged the limitations to government intervention. However, government intervention had a direct impact in trying to change the way in which organisations behave. Therefore it was felt that enforcement should be interwoven with encouragement.

The role of the Task Force was stressed to be a mechanism that was to make a marked difference by measuring and evaluating and not just a case of ‘ticking boxes.’ The creation of a Task Force to address these issues was seen as an active commitment from the Government to address the problem of inequality in the workforce.

Primary concerns:

Subtle and pervasive forms of discrimination. This was seen to have been a result of the development of corporate cultures where the pattern of success was ‘young white and male’ c rather than a ’45 year old Asian woman.’
Performance management. This was seen to have a potential detrimental impact on ethnic minorities as if discrimination is apparent, ethnic minority groups would be less likely to receive pay rises and promotion.
Employer Behaviour. Dominant model

To champion these causes it was felt that the law was not enough and ‘meaningful and robust’ race equality policies were needed in order to significantly change the way in which companies behave. Much of this was reflected in a range of recommendations:

Updating CRE Code of Practice
Doubling race equality advisers
Ensuring the use of public procurement

Task Force progress after first year:

Ethnic Minority Employment is a complex issue and the first year has been essentially about framing proposals and thinking about practical ways to move forward.

The Stakeholder Group was seen as one of the most important bodies to aid the Task Force Updates.

Only a year on, the achievements of the Task Force have been to lay the groundwork and are very much still work in progress.

Leslie called for more active participation from the Stakeholder Group in order to move forward the good work that had already been started. He wanted to see the Stakeholder Group structured to enable them to challenge and question.

Discussion

It was felt that employers could grow tired of constant legislation and this could have the effect of making businesses reluctant to employ ethnic minorities
It was felt that the benefits of employing ethnic minorities should be sold to employers instead of being ‘bullied’ into it.
However, it was also felt that direct action was needed as, for ethnic minorities, insufficient progress has been made. Therefore, it was necessary to push for reforms that would change this.
It was stressed that it was not simply a matter of filling quotas. It was believed that this could also lead to problems, in time, if groups were given jobs solely on the basis that they were from an ethnic group.
It was said that it should not just be about legislation but changing perceptions
It was also felt that it was not about alarming companies and the CRE Code of Practice is in place to assist them, not hinder their work

Nahid thanked Leslie for his contribution and for answering questions raised. She looked forward to hearing from other Task Force members in future.

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5. Working Groups:

The Working Groups held some initial discussions about their areas of interest.

It was agreed that it was:

Up to members to decide how to take the Working Groups forward, including involving others not at this meeting
Appoint a convenor for each Working Group
Nahid to draft a letter to draft out a letter and send it out to Ministers to update them on key issues before next Task Force meeting in the autumn

The following reports were made back to the plenary session:

Theme one: Building Employability

Group:

Eric Samuel
Symon Sentain
Monica Coke
Marlene Robottom

Issues discussed:

1. Information needs to be broken down by:

Ethnicity
Gender
Mobility

2. Interface with OFSTED to have ongoing analysis of data. Use data to focus on action needed (best practice examples)

3. EMAG process needs to have a strong and direct links to the community
EMAG funding is potentially insecure leading to potential loss of skilled staff and instability
Difficult to embed good practice.

4. Need mechanism for info sharing and dissemination to be explicit and co-ordinated e.g. OFSTED/DfES conferences.

Strategies need to be broken down into action plans through local strategic partners, e.g. LE

Theme two: Connecting People to Work

Group:

Ada Maouakoh
Jonathan Baldrey
Ivan Corea
Zahid Hamid
Nahid Majid
Fiona Kane

General observations:

There is a possibility that Job Centre Plus is not as effective as it claims it is

DWP to invite key Government departments involved in delivering themes to the next meeting, to give a presentation and then work with the working groups to take ideas forward.

More important to look at the global picture instead of focussing on JC+ targets.

Nahid to draft a letter informing the Ministers of the progress of the Group and invite them to future meetings, agree with DWP to send out Differences between BME and white people in job satisfaction.

Research to gauge attitudes towards Jobcentre Plus between different ethnic groups.

To what extent is there a poverty of aspiration and how does this change between racial, gender and class differences?

Involve JC+ and NRU.

Theme three: Equal Opportunities in the Workplac

Group:

Collette Cork-Hurst
Jenny Duncan
Janet Murray
Patricia Chale
Sarosh Zaiwalla

General Observations:

1. To operate as a team using communication via emails and meetings.

2. Go through recommendations as a team

3. Look at work to be done in race advisory

4. Look at excluded areas such as worship and tribunals and debate how they are to be dealt with.

5. Lack of understanding of terminology used.

6. Any Other Business:

It was agreed that if three meetings were missed the member would be asked if they still wanted a place within the Stakeholder Group:

Ada Maouakoh
Jonathan Baldrey
Ivan Corea
Zahid Hamid
Nahid Majid
Fiona Kane

ANNEX A – STAKEHOLDER GROUP (SG) ACTION POINTS

Next Steps

NM to organise meetings in advance on a Thursday for the next six months
DWP to send out Report to all Stakeholders on list
DWP to invite representations from key Government Departments to give presentations and updates on work undertaken to date in relation to the Report.
Stakeholders to suggest additional names for working party discussions on themes and forward to DWP.
Stakeholders to forward DWP with news articles for a Newsletter

Date of Next Meeting

Thursday 14th October
Thursday 9th December
Thursday 17th February

Time 11-2.30 p.m

Venue to be agreed

Action Lead Deadline Status

1. Circulate hard copy of Strategy Unit report to SG members Ian Albert 13th August
2. Circulate latest quarterly statistical report to SG members Ian Albert 13th August
3. Next meeting to be held on Thursday or Friday towards end September, probably in East London Nahid Majid/Ian Albert 1st September
4. Consider inviting Lord Bhatia, David Lammy or other possible speakers for next SG meeting Nahid Majid 1st September
5. Discuss possibility of Departmental presentations (30 mins max including questions) at next SG meeting Ian Albert 6th September
6. Thematic Working Groups to discuss their respective ways of working and appoint a convenor. Working Group Members Report to next full SG meeting
7. Consider also names of additional members to be added to their Working Group Working Group members Report to next full SG meeting
8. Working Groups to convene a meeting of their Group with relevant Ethnic Minority Employment Division policy team Working Groups members & Ian Albert Report to next full SG meeting
9. Draft report for next Task Force meeting on key issues and work programme for SG Thematic Working Groups Nahid Majid 23rd September
10. SG members can send a substitute if they cannot attend in person. SG members No deadline
11. SG members missing three meetings without apology will be asked if they still want to continue as part of the Group Ian Albert No deadline
12. Forward programme of SG meeting dates to be proposed once dates of Task Force meetings are known Ian Albert For next SG meeting

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