Racist abuse ‘will not be tolerated’

Bridgend County Borough Council and its waste partner Kier have reaffirmed their joint commitment and zero tolerance towards incidents where staff are subject to racist abuse, discrimination and harassment.

It follows a recent incident where a black member of staff was racially abused by different individuals on two separate occasions while collecting recycling in the county borough.

This is a wake-up call for anyone who thinks that racism does not occur locally or that it only occurs with incidents such as those which have resulted in recent Black Lives Matter protests around the world. I’m appalled to think that someone could be racially abused just for trying to do their job and providing a vital service to the community.

It is especially distressing to know that this has taken place in the middle of a crisis when staff from both organisations are going above and beyond to ensure that people can continue to receive vital services. Bridgend County Borough Council and Kier have a zero tolerance to racism, and are committed towards eliminating discrimination and harassment in all of its forms. We fully support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic members of the community and our staff, and have a long-term commitment towards tackling inequality.

Both of these recent incidents have been recorded and are in the hands of South Wales Police so that suitable action can be taken which I hope serves to deter anyone else who feels that can get away with abusing staff who are only trying to do their job.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations and chair of the Bridgend Community Cohesion and Equality Forum