- Conference
- 2004 Energy Service Group Conference
- Date
- 27 February 2004
- Decision
- Carried
Conference welcomes the developing programme of work on equalities in the Business and Environment Service Groups, led at national level by the Business and Environment Equal Opportunities Working Group, in liaison with the national self-organised group committees.
Conference notes the positive impact this has had on organisation of lesbian and gay members at branch, regional and national level. Previously, Business and Environment lesbian and gay members had been all but invisible, but now they are beginning to participate in all parts of the service group and self-organised group.
Conference recognises the many benefits of organising historically disadvantaged groups, which include raised profile for our union, increased recruitment of members from that group, wider range of activists and representatives, and better intelligence to support negotiations on equalities issues.
However, Conference notes that there is still a huge task ahead of us in recruiting, organising and supporting lesbian and gay workers in the business and environment groups.
Conference instructs the Energy Service Group Executive, working with the Business and Environment Equal Opportunities Working Group, through regions and branches to:
I)Encourage more lesbians and gay men to become stewards, health and safety reps, lay tutors and take up other activist posts;
ii)Seek facility time for lesbian and gay self-organised group activities;
iii)Continue to encourage branches to create lesbian and gay officer posts and monitor how many energy branches carry this out, maintaining records of branch contacts;
iv)Continue to publicise lesbian and gay events, campaigns and publications, particularly at branch level; and
v)Investigate the viability of creating self-organised group seats on each regional energy committee, noting that this will be more appropriate in some regions than others, depending on the current size and make-up of the committee in that region.