- Conference
- 2016 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 15 October 2015
- Decision
- Carried
The 2015 UNISON NDC carried motion 85 (submitted by the NI region) on resetting the equality agenda. It is our firm belief that equality and human rights are inherently interlinked. Women’s rights are disproportionately affected by discrimination on all grounds. Consequently, women’s rights and women’s protection from discrimination should be an overarching priority in the organising, bargaining, public policy and campaigning programmes developed by UNISON to challenge employers, public bodies and Governments.
To give effect to motion 85 UNISON women’s committees across regions and nations, in co-ordination with the national Women’s Committee, must ensure that all these work programmes operate within a clear gender equality and human rights strategy. For example, our bargaining campaigns should pay special attention to the rights of low paid women workers and to equal pay. Our campaigns for a living wage and against casualization and zero hours contracts must have clear impact assessments on women. Our campaigns against privatisation and outsourcing must have similar impact assessments and strategies to confront them.
On all public policy matters such as health, education , housing and the welfare system, we need to highlight and challenge discrimination against women and the impact on their human rights. We therefore call on the National Women’s Committee to work with all UNISON women’s committees and the UNISON centre to move the issue of equality and women’s rights from silo to centre stage in all aspects of UNISON policy making and implementation. As a first step, major research should be undertaken on the current levels of gender discrimination being experienced by women and UNISON members in particular at home, at work, and in wider society.
