Women’s conference shows full support for WASPI campaign for pension equality
The article Time for pension equality first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
Agreement on building fire and rescue equality welcomed
Employers, unions and other stakeholders sign memorandum of understanding
The article Agreement on building fire and rescue equality welcomed first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
2017 will be a defining moment in unions’ fight against discrimination
The British people’s decision to leave the EU is set to dominate the TUC’s work over the next few years. And I believe that, alongside securing a deal which protects jobs, Brexit poses two central challenges. The first challenge is to fight racism. Since the referendum result, we’ve seen an upsurge…Read more…
Pregnancy discrimination: Government action is long overdue and misses the point
Today the government published its long overdue response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report on pregnancy and maternity discrimination. Given that the EHRC estimate that some 54,000 women are forced out of their jobs per year due to pre…Read more…
The solution to sexist dress codes? Access to justice
Imagine that you’re applying for a mystery job and you’re told that all female applicants must adhere to the following dress code: Heel height normally a minimum of 2 inches and maximum of 4 inches, unless otherwise agreed by the client company. Make-up worn at all times and regularly re-applied,…Read more…
Inequality is falling, but that doesn’t mean we can stop worrying
I was struck by the coincidence of two news items yesterday. On the one hand, the World Economic Forum highlighted rising income inequality as one of four “global risks in 2017” because it threatens social cohesion and democratic societies’ ability to take action on other problems. On the other,…Read more…
McCluskey in disarray on free movement of workers
When I launched the campaign for General Secretary of Unite on Thursday evening, Len McCluskey’s backsliding on free movement of labour was one of the issues I raised. Little did I know how the issue would explode yesterday, with McCluskey and his supp…Read more…
Trans equality debated in parliament for first time is slow but sure progress
On December 1st, Transgender Equality was debated on the Floor of the House of Commons for the very first time. Maria Miller MP moved the motion calling on the Government to review its response to the recommendations of the Women and Equalities Committ…Read more…
A bargaining win for disabled workers is what unions continue to fight for
To mark Disability History Month I thought this would be a good time to share the great progress unions have made on disability issues. Community have negotiated an adult apprenticeship agreement and…Read more…
Happy International Day of Disabled People from the UK Government
Today is the 25th International Day of Disabled People. As of Thursday the government didn’t seem to have anything planned, so I will try to fill the gap by discussing what the Day should mean to our government and what’s actually happening in the UK. As it’s an international day, the most obvious…Read more…
The role of unions in challenging violence against women – #IDEVAW 2016
25 November marks the UN Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the European Trades Union Confederation (ETUC) is marking the day by launching a new report mapping union initiatives in…Read more…
5 tips for union reps to support disabled workers
I have been a trade union rep for almost a decade and am now the policy officer for disability equality at the TUC. I have also had reasonable adjustments myself. Disability History Month (#UKDHM) is…Read more…
For trade unions, Trans Day of Remembrance reminds us we must organise for trans equality
A trans person is killed globally every 1.4 days and black trans women are most heavily represented in these figures. Trans Remembrance Day is a time to remember the lives lost through hate and violence. In the workplace, three in five (60%) of trans workers have experienced some form of…Read more…
UNISON pledges continued support to fight discrimination of LGBT members
General secretary highlights work done by the union’s LGBT members as conference convenes in Wales
The article UNISON pledges continued support to fight discrimination of LGBT members first appeared…Read more…
Inequality: moving from analysis to action
The causes of poverty and inequality are well understood, we now need to have the difficult conversations about taking action.
All this week, BBC Scotland have been running a series of features…Read more…
Women in work: has the progress come to an end?
Welcome to the first in a series of five blogposts on gender and the labour market. I’m going to kick us off by putting today’s labour market statistics in their historical context. Then I’ll worry a bit about whether progress on employment gaps between men and women is coming to an end….Read more…
Sexism in football: The beautiful game’s ugly secret?
From the school playground to the Premier League stand, for millions of people football is more than a sport – it is a way of life. But it’s a beautiful game with an ugly underbelly when it comes to women working within the sport, who are too often subjected to discrimination, harassment and abuse….Read more…
Strikes continue at Fujitsu
We had our third strike day today at Fujitsu Manchester, and two more have now been called for Wednesday and Thursday next week.
Check out our Unite @ Fujitsu web site for the latest news – and an “appeal for support” leaflet which includes how you ca…Read more…
Unite Executive Council Elections
The union is gearing up for elections to its Executive Council (EC), which is effectively the ruling body of the union between policy and rules conferences.
The Unite web site has a page about the forthcoming elections. This includes a helpful new boo…Read more…
Counting the cost of pregnancy discrimination
This week, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released figures on the financial cost of pregnancy discrimination. For women who lose their jobs, the cost is between £47 million and £113 million, just in the first year. Losses flowing from long term impacts on their career have not…Read more…