BLACK and minority ethnic (BME) people working in Parliament are four times more likely to occupy the lowest-paid position than white colleagues, the Morning Star can reveal.

Almost 50 per cent of roles on the bottom pay grade in the House of Commons and the House of Lords are occupied by BME staff.

But BME people are three times less likely to hold senior management roles in Parliament than their white peers.

There is not a single senior BME manager in the Lords and so few in the Commons that they did not reveal the figure to “ensure staff anonymity.”

The figures were obtained through a freedom of information request and are revealed during Black History Month.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said the findings are a “disgrace” and Parliamentary sources admitted the record is “not good enough.”

Workers facing discrimination should turn to a trade union for support, the TUC chief added.

Wages on pay band E, the lowest in both houses, which mostly covers cleaning and catering roles, range between £17,529 and £20,625.

In the Commons, 25 of the 45 workers (58 per cent) on pay band E are BME, while in the Lords it is 31 of 85 (36 per cent).

They represent 14 per cent of the total 400 BME staff in Parliament.

That compares with the 74 white staff on the lowest pay band, who make up just 3 per cent of the 2,222 white people working in Parliament.

Most of the BME workers are also on the lower end of pay band E.

In the Lords, 19 of the 23 (82 per cent) of staff on the lower E2 catering grade are BME.

The large number of BME workers on the bottom pay grade contrasts starkly with the number among big earners.

The House of Commons refused to disclose how many BME people are among the 82 staff on the top senior Commons structure (SCS) pay scale, which ranges from £58,200 to £139,829.

Their response stated: “This is because in some instances, owing to low numbers of staff involved (fewer than 10) disclosing this data may make it possible for individuals to be identified.”

Instead it combined the SCS pay band with pay band A, which ranges from £57,150 to £74,270.

Across both bands, 27 of the 427 (6 per cent) staff are BME — 7 per cent of the total number of BME people working in Parliament.

That compares with 465 white people in the top two bands — 20 per cent of the 2,222 white people working in Parliament.

In the Lords, there are 31 members of senior management — but not a single post is occupied by a BME person.

The situation does not get any better on pay band B, which ranges between £29,957 and £42,686.

Just 7 of the 122 (5 per cent) staff on pay band B in the Lords are BME, while it’s marginally better in the Commons at 85 of 572 (14 per cent).

It is not compulsory for staff to declare their ethnicity.

Frances O’Grady
TUC general secretary
Black workers in Britain face huge challenges in the labour market and are too often consigned to low-paid roles, increasing inequality and poverty in families.
Employers have got to get better at recruiting and promoting staff.
They can by start selecting people for interview based on ability, experience and their suitability for the job, instead of letting prejudice and ignorance cloud their judgement — and Parliament should be setting the standard.

Commons Spokeswoman
Improving the representation of minority ethnic staff in the senior bands is part of the house’s diversity and inclusion strategy. This is something that the House has been actively tackling for the last few years and is beginning to see progress.

Lords Spokesman
Our record on diversity has not been good enough but is improving and will continue to do so.
We now operate an application process that is equality-proofed, removing all personal data, allowing sifters to select candidates for interview solely based on qualifications, skills and experience.