Glasgow City Council approves motion calling for more employees of BAME backgrounds
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More black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people are set to get jobs at Glasgow Council after it was revealed that they are hugely underrepresented.
According to GlasgowLive, only 3.4 percent of the local authority’s workforce which consists of more than 30,000 employees belong to ethnic minority backgrounds. People of BAME origin represent 18 per cent of the city’s total population.
Labour councillor Hanif Raja put forward a motion to tackle the issue and promote equality among council members, which was approved with an amendment.
Councillor Raja pointed out that many politicians have vowed to take action and improve diversity through campaigns and photographs, but have not been able to actually do anything.
He also asked if any one of the 85 councillors knew about their constituents’ religions and had celebrated festivals like Diwali, Ramadan or Eid with the community members.
During last week’s full council meeting, Bailie Hanif asked, “Who knows racism better than myself?”
He added that it took him three attempts to become a Labour councillor.
Councillor Raja further added, “We need to make changes in our chambers and Scottish Parliament. We have failed to do that.”
He also told the meeting that there weren’t enough BAME people in senior positions in the city, this includes teachers and police officers.
Councillor Raja’s motion to make changes and promote equality was approved with an amendment put forward by SNP councillor Allan Casey. A number of measures have been introduced, including an Employment Equality Action Plan to help boost diversity.
According to reports, BAME employees in the council have doubled in number between 2017 and 2021, which is about a 1 per cent of increase.
Councillor Casey said, “Achieving diversity in the council’s workforce is and should be an immediate priority to us all. It is not just about complying with the law but it is about us recognising and valuing each other’s differences and treating each other fairly.”
The BAME employee network, which is currently operation in the council, is working towards reducing inequality within the local authority.
Councillor Rashid Hussain, Labour, said: “The invisible glass ceiling must be smashed.”
Councillor Roza Salih, SNP, said: “We should be proud of the work that has been made so far to achieve equality and increase representation in the workforce. But we should do more.”
In a statement after the meeting, councillor Raja said, “I’m delighted we have found consensus on this important matter. For far too long we have talked but it has led to no action. Our city is a diverse city and we should celebrate that, and, regardless of background, everyone should be given and equal opportunity to grow and prosper.”