- Conference
- 2011 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 21 October 2010
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
With the General Election over and a Con Dem Coalition in Government, the proposed cuts to public services will have a dramatic effect on the lives of women.
Statistics show that many women do not use their vote and do not feel that casting their vote is important.
In May 2011 the local elections will be held and this is a real opportunity for women to show the government how they feel about the attack on their jobs, services and pensions by placing their vote and making a difference.
In this ever changing world, where the recession is being used as the reason for harsh savings to be made and public services being used as a scapegoat for the greed of the bankers. With the upsurge of the BNP in our communities, it is more important than ever that women exercise their right to vote.
Conference welcomes the 2010 national delegate conference decision to encourage all UNISON members to step up engagement with decision-making and policymaking processes that impact on members, and to promote member participation in the union’s lobbying and campaigning. This decision has led to the setting up of the UNISON political education project, which builds on the national women’s committee “Don’t do politics” campaign, which was launched in 2008.
National Women’s Conference asks the National Women’s Committee to engage fully with the UNISON political education project and to:
1)Produce information for women on why they should vote.
2)Build on the Use your Vote campaign in a gender specific way focusing on issues that affect women on a day to day basis.
3)work with the General Political Fund (GPF) to highlight the importance of why women should vote.
4)Work with the National and Regional Self Organised Groups to identify areas where information should be targeted.
5)Use the Million Voices Campaign to ensure that women know why they should use their vote to influence change.