Today (2 November 2015) a letter signed by hundreds of prominent people including Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC and politicians from all major parties, calls for the autumn statement to ensure that mental health is treated on a par with physical health (requiring much greater…Read more…
Gender pay gap reporting: is it anything more than a policy gimmick?
David Cameron’s attempt to claim Labour territory has included strong messages on the gender pay gap. In his conference speech last week he declared, “I’m a dad of two daughters – opportunity won’t mean anything to them if they grow up in a country where they get paid less because of their gender”….Read more…
Working grandparents, shared parental leave and care
Yesterday, the Chancellor announced that the government will extend shared parental leave (SPL) and pay to working grandparents from 2018 – another policy stolen from Labour’s election manifesto. It is easy to envisage some of the benefits this increased flexibility will bring and political parties…Read more…
LGB statistics confirm social change?
The Office for National Statistics has published the Integrated Household Survey with the findings for 2014 for sexual identity and (bizarrely), smoking. The headline figure suggested that there had been little change in the overall number of people id…Read more…
The Importance of Proofreading: how Trade Union Bill equality analysis admits it lacks supporting data
Today the government has published its equality analysis of the Trade Union Bill. For busy readers who may not have time to read to the end of my blog, let alone the government’s 31 page document, I can reveal that the government’s analysis of its proposals to weaken workers’ rights is that there…Read more…
Checking for discrimination in selection
There are many situations, from recruitment to promotion to redundancies, where employers make selections between people. You often hear people talking about the importance of doing “Equality Impact Assessments” and checking for discrimination, but I’v…Read more…
Tens of thousands of women a year suffer pregnancy discrimination but only a handful enforce their rights
Today, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published findings from the largest ever survey of the scale of pregnancy discrimination in Britain’s workplaces. Its headline finding: one in nine new mothers is forced out of work each year because of their pregnancy or maternity leave. That’s…Read more…
Unite Rules Conference – day three
The main excitement on Wednesday was motion 2/1 from the Executive Council, which removed “so far as may be lawful from rule “2.1 The objects of the Union shall, as far as may be lawful, be:”. Len McCluskey gave a great speech arguing why it was …Read more…
Equality reps key to fairness at work and must have facility time
UNISON will put equalities at the heart of its bargaining agenda and will campaign with the TUC and through Labour Link for facility time for equality reps. Conference recognised that austerity has rolled back equality successes and significantly increased workplace inequality.
Supporting the motion on Friday on behalf of the NEC, Scotland’s Davena Rankin said, “Maya Angelou once said: ‘It isRead more…
Disabled workers in Great Britain: What now?
The TUC released a comprehensive report today revealing just how little progress for disabled people in the workforce was achieved under the 2010-15 government. The headline employment and unemployment rate figures paint a picture of essential stagnati…Read more…
There’s a long road to true LGBT equality…
Pride in London has issued a call for politicians to support a pledge, a commitment to the steps needed “to make London the best LGBT+ city in the world”. The TUC warmly welcomes this, the first time that Pride in London has done anything like this.
The post There’s a long road to true LGBT…Read more…
Behind the statistics: The impact of government policies on disabled workers
A report from the Public Interest Research Unit on behalf of Disabled People Against Cuts shows the cumulative impact of the Coalition government’s policies on disabled workers in employment. Although the report’s author, Rupert Harwood, acknowledges the self-selecting basis of his study of…Read more…
Change society so women can live free from violence
#stuc15 Gender equality is at the root of violence against women and girls and the STUC will campaign to keep this issue at the heart of the agenda for all public bodies in Scotland. Delegates commended the Scottish Government’s “Equally Safe” strategy and the STUC pledged to lend its full support to groups campaigning to build a Scotland free from violence against women and girls.
SupportingRead more…
Call to challenge gender equality in apprenticeships
#stuc15 The STUC will press the Scottish government to work with them to tackle gender inequality in apprenticeships and to encourage women to take on apprenticeships in under-represented sectors.
Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary also committed to taking up incidents of abuse in the apprenticeship sector in his capacity as a board member of Skills Development Scotland.
Seconding theRead more…
STUC drive to improve equality
#stuc15 “Ensuring that an organisation reflects the community which it serves is clear proof of its commitment to equality and inclusion,” UNISON’s Priscilla Maramba told delegates, as they backed a CWU motion calling for a review of trade union activists and officials and action to ensure they are reflective of proportionality.
Priscilla added that the greater the equality of representation,Read more…
Only hope for BME workers lies in their unions
#stuc15 First time delegate and speaker, UNISON’s Priscilla Maramba, told Congress that ConDem austerity has worsened the plight of BME workers, and the rise of UKIP and media bias have added insult to injury.
“Equality for BME workers is slowly slipping down the slope and the only hope for BME workers lies in support from their unions.”
Her comments came as delegates backed a campaign toRead more…
Black workers facing the scourge of casualisation
The coalition government’s rhetoric on the need to reduce the financial deficit hid an agenda. This agenda aimed to reshape the economy through privatisation of public services and to destroy union organisation and hard won conditions. It aimed to enable private interests to exploit labour for even…Read more…
We ignore gender at our peril when creating a working future for young women
Trade unions have been at the forefront of fighting for women and men to be treated fairly and to avoid discrimination in the workplace. As Chief Executive of a charity working with and on behalf of young women as they enter employment for the first time I wouldn’t, of course, argue that this isn’t…Read more…
Statistics, lies and Access to Work
Mark Harper, MP, minister for disabled people announced (23 March) a commitment by government to helping disabled people in work or into work who need adjustments or support to enable them to carry out their jobs. The Access to Work (AtW) scheme has be…Read more…
More men called John run big companies than all women
Not that there is anything wrong with being called John but this blatant sexism and inequality is a nonsense. It is also simply bad for business if you exclude half the world from the the potential pool of talent to recruit from. The picture above is f…Read more…