UNISON’s annual women’s conference opened in Edinburgh yesterday with a clear commitment from delegates to “unite for more rights.”
The opening motion, from Camden, championed trans rights from a feminist perspective. It called on the national women’s committee to work with the national LGBT+ committee to “co-produce a myth-busting factsheet, with all the self-organised groups in UNISON, to counter the idea that an increase in trans rights would mean a decrease in the rights of others.”
The key points that were raised included:
- Trans women do not pose a threat to cisgender women
- Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary people exist
- Trans issues are union issues, because UNISON has always fought for marginalised workers
- The safe space is for members to stand together with their trans siblings.
The motion was passed unopposed.
President highlights his pride
Conference also heard from UNISON president Steve North, who said he was “honoured and proud to be president of a women’s union”.
He said that “austerity hit women the hardest” with cuts to social care and children services, while additional responsibilities often fall on women.
Describing the gender pay gap as a “scandal”, he said that women can fight back through UNISON.
Mr North stressed that “sexual harassment is not a joke, it’s not banter. It’s illegal and it’s UNISON’s responsibility to challenge, support members, discuss it, address it and fight back.”
And he told delegates about Salford City Women’s Centre, his presidential charity.
Steve North addressing delegates
Delegates also passed a motion on the gender pay gap. This revealed that low wages equal low pensions, with women’s pensions averaging £7,000 less than men, so that the gender pay gap equates to a gender pension gap.
In a motion on closing the gender health gap, a student nurse used heart attacks to illustrate the difference in care for women and men. “Seventy-five percent of men who have a heart attack get seen immediately on arrival in hospital. They are on a ward very quickly. Women are put ‘somewhere’ and can wait an average 14/15 hours to be seen.”
“Research about cardiac care is carried out by men for men. Women’s symptoms are different – the pain is often mistaken for indigestion.
“Women are 30% more likely to die than men. All the beds on cardiac wards are full of men because women die before they get to the ward.”
Conference called on the national committee to “work with Labour Link to lobby government and the health minister to allocate resources that focus on the health needs of women, transgender, and non-binary individuals to inform evidence-based healthcare practices.
“Work with Labour Link to lobby government and the health minister to implement policies to ensure that women, transgender, and non-binary individuals have access to comprehensive healthcare services, including reproductive health, mental health, and preventative care.”
‘A patriarchal move’
A motion on childcare in Northern Ireland noted that that is the only part of the UK without a childcare strategy, while also having some of the highest childcare costs in the UK.
The result is that many mothers cannot afford to return to work after giving birth.
One speaker described it as a “patriarchal move to keep women in the home. Help our mums and support childcare workers to be paid properly. If they are unionised, they will be paid properly.”
Delegates called on the national committee to campaign for a fully resourced childcare strategy for Northern Ireland and 30-hours free, properly funded childcare.
The article ‘Unite for more rights!’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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