- Conference
- 2017 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 12 October 2016
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that in June 2016 the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights found that the UK government’s austerity measures and social security reforms were in breach of its obligations to human rights.
The report amongst other issues cites: an increase in the use of food banks, rising unemployment rates, the housing crisis and cuts to mental health care and states that women and particularly disabled women are disproportionately affected.
The UN condemned the government’s welfare reform including the effects of the ‘bedroom tax’.
The UN committee stated it was ‘seriously concerned’ about ‘the disproportionate adverse impact that austerity measures’ have on disadvantaged and marginalised groups, specifically disabled women and low-income families.
The UN also expressed concerns over:
1) unemployment that disproportionately affects disabled women
2) the levels of part-time, temporary work and the use of zero hour contracts;
3) an insufficient national minimum wage, which disproportionally affects disabled people and women
4) violence against disabled women;
5) increased poverty experienced by disabled women;
6) restriction of access to justice;
7) significant rise in homelessness of disabled women;
8) access to health care due to cuts to mental health services.
These issues affect disabled women which we are actively campaigning on.
In addition the UN expressed concerns over the UK government’s enactment of the Trade Union Act.
Being activists in our union without dedicated facility time impacts negatively on our disabled women who are already under increased pressure in the workplace.
The Trade Union Act’s proposed reduction of facility time shows the lack of value placed on the work disabled women activists do and will create further barriers for them partaking in campaigning and awareness raising on improving disabled women’s wellbeing. This work provides value for the wider workplace reducing sickness absences.
Conference calls on the National Womens committee to work with relevant structures of the union to:
a) Campaign to protect the Equality Act
b) Call for research and reports on equality to report disabled women’s experiences;
c) Promote activism within disabled and women’s members networks