ÑÇÖÞÂ鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß

By signing the charter, the university strengthens its commitment to tackle racism in the workplace and promote a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce. 

 Professor Donna Whitehead, Vice-Chancellor of the ÑÇÖÞÂ鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß, said:

"We are proud to be the first university in the south-east to sign UNISON’s anti-racism charter. This is an important milestone in our ongoing work to create an environment where every member of our community feels valued, respected and supported. Our commitment goes beyond words – we will continue to take meaningful action to challenge racism and embed equity and inclusion in everything we do."

Ivan Bonsall, UNISON branch chair at the University of ÑÇÖÞÂ鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß, said: 

“It’s great news the ÑÇÖÞÂ鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß has signed up to UNISON’s anti-racism charter. This is an important step by the university and a significant one towards tackling racism in all its form and creating a safer, fairer workplace for all staff.” 

 Signing the anti-racism charter commits organisations to provide more support for staff who may suffer racism in the workplace, and to be actively anti-racist, rather than just non-racist. 

 Jo Galloway, UNISON South East regional secretary, said: 

“Unions have an important role to play in combatting the politics of hate in communities and workplaces. With the increase in racist rhetoric across Britain, the anti-racism charter is a powerful way for leaders to work with their staff to ensure racism has no place on university campuses. Signing the charter is just the start of creating an anti-racist workplace, and we will continue working with the university to turn this commitment into meaningful change across the organisation.” 

The ÑÇÖÞÂ鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß has a long-standing commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. This includes mandatory equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and unconscious bias training for staff, active staff networks supporting underrepresented groups, and initiatives to close pay gaps and improve progression opportunities for Black and minoritised colleagues.

Building on this commitment, the university recently achieved the Race Equality Charter Silver Award, recognising significant progress in advancing race equity across its policies, practices and culture. This national award reflects the university’s sustained efforts to address racial inequalities and create a fairer, more inclusive environment for staff and students.

The university offers targeted mentorship programmes, financial support schemes, and initiatives designed to improve access, retention and success for students from racially minoritised backgrounds. These actions form part of the university’s broader strategy to ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.