The TUC is refusing to let BARAC (Black Activists Rising Against Cuts) speak at the TUC march. There is no black community representation from independent black community organisations speaking.
Email for the urgent attention of Brendan Barber TUC Gen Sec in support of BARAC: info@tuc.org.uk or ring them up and ask to speak to his office and leave a message on 020 7636 4030
This is what the TUC posted yesterday:
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-19370-f0.cfm
TUC urges black and Asian people to join march against the cuts in London
Black and Asian people are today (Wednesday) being encouraged to join the TUC's March for the Alternative in London this Saturday (26 March), as new research shows that their employment prospects have already been hit hard by the recession, with many more jobs now at risk.TUC analysis of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) shows that the unemployment rate for black and Asian workers increased from 10.2 per cent in October-December 2007 to 13 per cent in the same quarter in 2010. This figure is nearly twice as high as the 7.1 per cent unemployment rate for white workers.
The picture is even worse for young people from ethnic backgrounds, with the unemployment rate for 18-24-year-old black and Asian workers increasing from 20.1 per cent to 30.5 per cent since 2007. In contrast, the unemployment rate for white youngsters stands at 16.4 per cent.
The figures also show that 638,000 black and Asian people work in the public sector, so significant cuts to public spending are will make the situation worse for these embattled communities, says the TUC.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'The government's cuts to public services are having a devastating impact all around the UK. Black and Asian jobs and vital community groups and services are being hit hard.
'Cuts to benefits such as the education maintenance allowance are already limiting the chances of large numbers of unemployed young black workers to take part in continuing education and apprenticeships.
'Job cuts announced in local authorities, schools and hospitals will lead to a fall in employment in black and Asian communities, hitting large numbers of women who work in and rely on these services.
'Please join us on Saturday 26 March to march for an alternative and give a national voice to all those affected by the cuts.
'We want to let the government know that deep cuts are not the way to solve our problems, and will almost certainly make them worse. A fairer tax system will spread the burden more fairly, and policies that create jobs and boost economic growth are the only long-term ways to close the deficit.'
