‘The trade union movement should be on the side of every woman and every baby whose lives are endangered by inequalities.’ That’s the message the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has taken to the 2025 Trade Union Congress (TUC) this weekend.
The RCM used the first of its two motions to shine a light on disproportional maternity outcomes faced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic women and their babies. Black women in England are three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after birth than white women and Black and Asian babies are over twice as likely to be stillborn than white babies.
RCM Activist Josephine Oamen moved the motion on behalf of the RCM reminding delegates in Brighton that the current Governments’ 2024 election manifesto promised ‘to set an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap’.
Addressing delegates Josephine said:
“Inequality in maternity care is a matter of life and death and it’s getting worse not better. Our motion exposes a harsh and undeniable truth: that in 2025, the postcode you live in, the colour of your skin, or whether you are disabled can determine whether you or your baby survive childbirth. This is not just a health issue: it’s a deep-seated social justice issue. Behind all the statistics is a mother, child, a grieving family, it’s heartbreaking. We need urgent action from the Government, and we need support from the trade union movement. We need you to help us to continue to raise the issues, support our solutions and be on the side of every woman and every baby whose lives are endangered by inequality.”
The RCM has welcomed the Health Secretary’s pledge to tackle pregnancy and birth inequalities, including the rapid review into the safety of England’s maternity services. However it says urgent change is needed and it’s imperative that the review produces time-bound recommendations to eliminate inequalities once and for all.
Among the RCM’s Congress delegation which includes, RCM members, RCM staff and RCM Board members was the RCM’s General Secretary, Gill Walton.
Commenting, Gill said:
“The Government has said that it intends to establish a target and strategy for eliminating disparities in maternal health and we need to see that urgently. It should not be the case that in twenty-first century Britain that Black and Asian women disproportionally die in childbirth or soon after and we must all work together to change that. The RCM is focusing on decolonising both the education and practice of the midwifery community because we believe the positive change we urgently need to see can happen, but the scale of the challenge requires a multi-agency approach. We also need specialist midwives in the right places to provide specialist support to the women that need it most and we need proper funding for all NHS staff to be trained in anti-racism awareness.”
The RCM says it will use its time at TUC Congress to shine a light on issues that impact its members and the women they care for. Retaining and valuing midwives, Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) and the NHS workforce to deliver the NHS 10 – Year Plan and supporting student and newly qualified midwives are among the RCM motions over the coming days. The RCM will also second a motion from the Royal College of Podiatrists who are calling for ‘paid worktime for all nursing parents’.
The 157th Annual TUC Congress which kicked off today (Sunday 7 September) in Brighton will run until 10 September. More details can be found here.
