The media is focusing on the size of the award. A £ million is a headline grabbing figure but the most telling statistic is the fact that whilst 2% of the workforce are black they form 25% of those subject to disciplinary action.The BBC today carries a report that the Central Manchester University Foundation NHS Trust has been found guilty of institutional racism with the award of £1m to a former manager. The trade union that represented the manager calls for an independent enquiry into the Trusts disciplinary policies following the discovery that whilst 2% of the workforce are black they form 25% of those subject to disciplinary action. The Trust strongly disputes that institutional racism is a feature of the organisation. This comes 18 years after Macpherson enquiry into discrimination in the police first gave us the term "institutional racism". It is clear that some organisations do not understand what institutional racism is or simply refuse to accept it exists.This organisation is not racist they say. I am not racist nor are any of my colleagues they say. Just because there aren’t any black senior managers doesn’t mean it is because of racism. We don’t care what colour someone is we treat everyone the same. These are often the same organisations that resist collecting information on the ethnicity of their workforce not only who they employ and who they promote but who they discipline. There have been changes over the last eighteen years the casual racism in which people would refer to the “Paki” Shop on the corner or made offensive jokes linking race and intelligence have become socially unacceptable. However black people are still underrepresented in senior posts, a male black manager is still likely to be described as aggressive when the same behaviour from a colleague is called assertive, black staff are more likely to describe their manager as unsupportive, in many organisations black staff are disproportionately subject to disciplinary action. Perhaps as a consequence black staff have less faith in the organisations disciplinary and grievance procedures.After the energy, enthusiasm and commitment to change following the Macpherson report there is a general feeling that the reality for black staff still doesn’t match the grand sounding policy statements .There is also a feeling that senior managers have moved on that austerity has brought a new set of challenges and priorities and that whilst individual’s personal commitment remains their time and energy is directed elsewhere.www.blairmcpherson.co.uk author of An Elephant in the Room-an equality and diversity training manual and People management in a harsh financial climate both published by www.russellhouse.co.uk
