- Conference
- 2005 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 20 October 2004
- Decision
- Carried
In autumn 2004, the Prime Minister established a Women and Work Commission to look at how men’s and women’s education and skills affect which jobs they can get; promotion and career progression; women’s experiences in the job market, before and after having children and women’s differing experiences of working either full time and part-time.
All these issues are well understood, and, together with pay discrimination, they are the key factors in causing the gender pay gap.
The pay gap currently stands at 18 per cent for full-time and 40 per cent for part-time workers. In the 1970s, it averaged 30 per cent for full time workers. This is not much to show for 30 years’ progress. The intention behind the Commission is that it will make recommendations to government on how to tackle the pay gap.
UNISON welcomed the setting up of the Commission but warned that there would need to be real political will to resolve the problems facing women at work and for the Commission to produce firm recommendations that are enacted upon. We also welcomed the recognition that, as a substantial employer of women, that the public sector would warrant particular examination. UNISON, with women as two-thirds of its membership, is well placed to offer evidence from this area.
Conference welcomes the programme of work established by the National Women’s Committee to provide evidence for submission to the Commission, particularly its decision to highlight equal pay and caring responsibilities.
Conference calls on the National Women’s Committee, with the National Executive Council, to:
1)promote the UNISON work programme for a planned approach to submitting evidence to the Commission;
2)encourage regional women’s committees/groups to pursue areas of interest to their region for input to the UNISON programme;
3)encourage branches to initiate activities to gain evidence from women members of their experiences in the labour market and ensure this information is provided to regional women’s committees/groups;
4)ensure that women members are involved in the debate;
5)use this opportunity to publicise UNISON’s equality for women agenda.