- Conference
- 2012 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 17 October 2011
- Decision
- Carried
Women’s Conference confirms UNISON’s backing of Campaign for Better Transport’s campaign ‘Save our Buses’.
An increasing number of local authorities have looked to save money by reducing the number of socially necessary and school bus services they support because of cuts to government funding.
Once again, as statistics show that women use buses far more than men, these draconian funding cuts are having a greater effect on women including:
1)Women who catch the bus for work
2)Women who take their children to school on the bus
3)Young women in education
4)Women in rural areas
5)Older women who can no longer drive (women statistically out live men)
6)Women with caring responsibilities taking family members for medical appointments
7)Women who rely on the bus for social interaction
8)Women having benefits cut for turning down jobs because no transport is available
Clearly this government is not willing to accept the social and economic detriment, nor the climatic impact these cuts will have.
We have also seen affects on jobs for our members working in bus companies and transport departments in local authorities.
Conference asks the National Women’s Committee to liaise with and support the Water, Environment & Transport Service Group Executive, as well as regional women’s committees in their efforts to lobby politicians and the government in campaigning to protect bus services and members jobs.