Just last week, the Chancellor proudly announced in the Budget that the government was winning on the gender pay gap. He said (pretty much cutting and pasting from previous speeches): “Inequality is down; and the gender pay gap has never been smaller.” But today we are told by the Women and…Read more…
#Budget2016: Women and low income households again bearing the brunt of austerity
Last weekend the Women’s Budget Group published a cumulative assessment of ten years of austerity, covering both the Coalition government (2010-15) and the policies announced thus far by the Conservative government that took office in May 2015. The findings of the research could not have been…Read more…
The unequal impact of the mental health crisis
Mental health problems will affect one person in four: a statistic repeatedly quoted these days. There are other numbers. People disabled by mental ill health have only a 20% employment rate in contrast to an overall disability employment rate of just …Read more…
A million new jobs for disabled people on the road to full employment?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer wants the UK to achieve full employment by creating more than two million new jobs by 2020. The Resolution Foundation, in its welcome new report, “The road to full employment: what the journey looks like and how to make progress”, sets out how to achieve this by…Read more…
Women workers & the EU referendum
Frances O’Grady addressed the TUC Women’s Conference in London on Wednesday 9 March. Here is an edited version of the section of her speech that focused on the EU referendum, and the…Read more…
“Guten tag, pet!” Reforming the Posted Workers Directive
On Tuesday (8 March) the European Commission announced a long-waited revision of the twenty year-old Posted Workers Directive, which regulates the entitlements of workers sent by their employer to another EU country on a short-term project. Think of the characters in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet – they…Read more…
The impact of motherhood on pay
On Sunday we celebrated mothers’ day, a day when we show our appreciation for the often unsung and uncelebrated hard work of mothers. Today, on International Women’s Day, the TUC has published research that finds mothers are not so valued in the workplace. In fact, the research confirms the…Read more…
Mandatory gender pay gap reporting – just two more years to wait!
Today the government has finally published draft regulations that will require large private sector employers to publish their gender pay gap. It is intending to commence these regulations from 1 October 2016 but companies will have until 30 April 2018…Read more…
Government cuts are denying women access to justice, says UNISON
Women are being hit hardest by government cuts and by changes that restrict access to justice, Dave Prentis tells women’s conference
The article Government cuts are denying women access to justice,…Read more…
Women and trade unions
Women have always been central to trade unions and the fight for a more equal society. To celebrate International Women’s Day we’ve put together a timeline of some of the key dates for women and the trade union movement.
The article Women and trade unions first appeared on the UNISON National site.
UNITE constitutional timetable 2016
Each year there is a schedule of meetings, intended to ensure key meetings don’t clash with each other. For 2016 the schedule is as follows:
Regional Industrial Sector Committees; Area Activists Committees; Regional Equalities & Regional Labour Pa…Read more…
More likely to go to prison than university? But a degree doesn’t close the pay gap.
David Cameron’s front page of the Sunday Times announced a concerted Government anti-discrimination drive. Targeting universities, the police, the courts and the armed forces he said steps must be taken to tackle the ongoing discrimination that “should shame our country and jolt us to action”….Read more…
Remembering the Holocaust
On Holocaust Memorial Day, light a candle as a sign of remembrance and hope
The article Remembering the Holocaust first appeared on the UNISON site.Read more…
A great leap forward: the Women and Equalities Committee report on transgender equality
The report of the parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into trans equality has now been published and its conclusions that trans people face serious prejudice and discrimination have attracted wide publicity. Trade unions views were amo…Read more…
Motions to Unite Policy Conference 2016
Every Unite branch and constitutional committee has until 15th February to submit one motion on general policy for consideration at the Unite Policy Conference which will take place in Brighton on 11-15 July 2016.
The paperwork circulated is here:
Let…Read more…
Disability equality: A call for action
The TUC has launched its Manifesto for Disability Equality, which is not a wish list, but a call for action. It is necessary because the government has been getting away for far too long with policies that do the opposite of what ministers claim. They …Read more…
UNISON calls for Robert Gordon University to remove Donald Trump’s honorary degree
Date: Wednesday 9 December 2015
UNISON members working at Robert Gordon University have written to the Principal, Professor Prondzynski, calling on him to remove Donald Trump’s honorary degree because he is reported to have called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" UNISON believes this to be unacceptable. Colin Jones, Robert Gordon UNISON steward said: “Read more…
Is Britain fairer for black and minority ethnic workers?
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report ‘Is Britain fairer?’ examines the extent to which equality and human rights are improving in Britain. It reveals that the systemic labour market discrimination suffered by black and minority ethnic (BME) workers is still a major feature of…Read more…
The poverty gap between disabled and non-disabled people has got worse
Is Britain fairer for disabled people? No, if you read across all the findings in the report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published on 30 October, their five-yearly survey into “fairness” in Britain. This will come as no surprise to millions of disabled people living with the…Read more…
#MothersWork campaign will challenge pregnancy discrimination
When David Cameron wooed his party conference with a bold pledge to “end discrimination and finish the fight for real equality in our country”, I had great hopes that the Government would turn its mind to the widespread and growing problem of pregnancy discrimination at work. With evidence showing…Read more…