As the University of Bristol launches its Black History Month series of events in 2025 it is timely to reflect on key actions identified by UCU in its recently finalised report focused on advancing racial equality at the institution. The report draws on findings from a discussion forum and a survey undertaken earlier in 2025.
Key findings emerging from the report indicate:
- Lack of diversity in our staff body, especially at the more senior levels of the institution.
- Discrimination in the promotion process.
- Lack of transparency around the ethnicity pay gap.
- Lack of investment in tackling racial inequality.
- Poor communication about actions and initiatives taken to tackle racial equality.
- A dismissal of reports of racist incidents leading to some staff to fear retaliation if they speak out about racism experienced.
- Tokenistic and not well implemented or communicated policies leading to little or no impact.
- Successful initiatives tend to be down to an individual rather than a team or the institution more generally.
Recommendations to advance racial equality at UoB put forward by survey and forum participants included:
- Mandatory anti-racist training for all staff, but especially line managers.
- Stronger sanctions for perpetrators of racist incidents.
- More analysis of data focusing on ethnic differences in staff experiences.
- Closing the ethnicity pay and awarding gap.
- Recruitment of more diverse staff, especially at more senior levels.
- Better communication about initiatives and actions undertaken to strengthen racial equality.
- Raising awareness of HR and senior managers and holding them to account.
To take forward the recommendations of the report UCU will be engaged in the following activities:
- Advocating for greater transparency around data relating to ethnic differences in staff experiences, including the ethnicity pay gap.
- Pushing for access to the raw data relating to the ethnicity pay gap.
- Drafting a claim to submit to the university to close the ethnicity pay gap.
- Advocating for better institutional support for racialised minority staff during times of acute racial tension.
- Advocating for better reporting structures for those affected by racist incidents.
- Advocating for better implementation of UoB policies.
- Pushing for better communication of initiatives and actions undertaken by UoB to address racial equality.
- Pressing for the academic line management project to include issues relating to racial equality in academic line manager training.