THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
Racism at Work Is Getting Worse
A summary of the TUC’s 2026 report: No Worker Left Behind
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a body that represents workers and trade unions across Britain. In early 2026, it published a report called No Worker Left Behind, which looks at how Black, Asian and ethnic minority workers are being treated in British workplaces. The TUC surveyed 1,044 workers from these communities, asking about their day-to-day experiences at work. What they found was deeply alarming — racism at work is not only common, it is getting significantly worse.
To understand how much things have changed, the TUC compared the results with a similar survey carried out in 2020. The differences are stark. Across almost every measure — from racist jokes to physical violence — the numbers have gone up.
What Is Happening in Workplaces?
The report identifies two types of racism that workers face. The first is open, or overt, racism — things that are clearly wrong and hard to ignore. The second is hidden, or everyday racism — subtler behaviour that can be easier to dismiss but is just as harmful.
On the overt side, the figures are shocking. The number of workers who had their ability to speak English questioned jumped from 20% in 2020 to 31% in 2026. Racist jokes and so-called ‘banter’ went up from 36% to 41%. Racist comments directed at workers or made in their presence rose from 31% to 36%.
Most worryingly, physical violence, threats and intimidation increased from 19% to 26% — meaning more than one in four ethnic minority workers has experienced this at work. Racist content shared on workplace social media also rose, from 22% to 28%.
On the hidden side, workers face a quieter but persistent form of discrimination. Nearly half — 45% — said they are regularly given harder or less popular jobs. Over two in five (43%) said they receive unfair criticism. The same number are kept on temporary contracts rather than permanent ones, making their employment more insecure. These things may not look like racism on the surface, but the report makes clear they are deeply connected to race.
Who Is Responsible?
Racism in the workplace comes from several directions. The most common source of explicit racism is colleagues, who are responsible in 33% of reported cases. Customers, clients and patients account for 22% of incidents. However, when it comes to unfair treatment — such as being given worse tasks or blocked from promotion — managers are the most common culprit, cited in 35% of cases.
This means that discrimination is happening at all levels of the workplace — from the shop floor to the management suite. It is not just a problem of a few bad individuals; it is woven into how many organisations operate.
Why Don’t People Speak Up?
One of the most troubling findings is how rarely racism gets reported. Only one in five workers who experienced harassment told their employer about it. People stay silent because they fear not being believed, worry about damaging their career, or simply do not trust that anything will change.
This means the figures in the report are likely to underestimate the true scale of the problem. For every person who speaks out, there are many more who suffer in silence.
Why Is Racism Getting Worse?
Experts and the TUC point to several reasons why workplace racism has increased so sharply since 2020.
1.Politics and the media. Racist and anti-immigration language has become more common in public life. When politicians and newspapers use hostile language about ethnic minorities, it gives some people permission to behave the same way at work. HR experts noted that inflammatory rhetoric in politics has “emboldened people to say things ” they might previously have kept to themselves.
2.Social media. Racist content that spreads online does not stay online. The TUC found a clear rise in racist material being shared through workplace messaging and social media. Platforms with weak moderation have allowed hateful content to reach more people and, ultimately, to influence behaviour at work.
3.The rise of far-right movements. Far-right groups have grown in influence in recent years. The 2024 riots, sparked by false claims about the Southport attack, spread violence across 27 towns and created a climate of fear for many ethnic minority communities. That fear does not end when people arrive at work.
4.Weak enforcement. Laws protecting workers from racism exist, but they are not being enforced strongly enough. Without proper consequences, racist behaviour continues unchecked.
What Needs to Change?
The TUC is calling for urgent action from both the government and employers.
1. For the government: The TUC wants stronger enforcement of existing laws, with ring-fenced funding given to the Equality and Human Rights Commission so it can actually investigate and act on complaints. It also wants mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting made law for companies with more than 50 employees — so the hidden financial inequality is made visible and publicly accountable.
2. For employers: The TUC says employers must start treating racial harassment as a health and safety issue — just as they would a physical hazard. They should monitor data on ethnicity across hiring, pay and promotions, and embed anti-racism commitments into employment contracts and collective agreements. Flexible working should be genuinely available to all workers, not just those in senior roles.
One positive step is already in motion. From October 2026, changes under the Employment Rights Act will make employers legally responsible for protecting their staff from harassment by customers, clients and members of the public. This is a welcome development, but the TUC warns it must be backed up by real enforcement — otherwise it risks being a law that exists only on paper.
The Bigger Picture
What this report tells us is that racism in British workplaces is not a relic of the past. It is a present-day reality that is growing. Black, Asian and ethnic minority workers face it every day — from the words of colleagues, from the decisions of managers, and increasingly from the content appearing on their phones and screens at work.
The human cost is enormous. Workers are being worn down, pushed out, and silenced. The economic cost is significant too — research has shown that over 120,000 ethnic minority workers left their jobs because of racism in 2022 alone. That is a huge loss of talent and experience that Britain cannot afford.
As TUC general secretary Paul Nowak put it plainly: the most explicit forms of racism have seen a shocking increase in recent years. Enough is enough. The time for action is now.
References
1.https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/no-worker-left-behind
2.https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1955775/tuc-warns-shocking-increase-workplace-racism
3.https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/black-and-ethnic-minority-workers-face-shocking-increase-explicit-racism-tuc-reveals
4.https://www.aol.com/articles/black-ethnic-minority-employees-facing-230100812.html
5.https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news/2026/04/24/new-tuc-research/
