- Conference
- 2022 National LGBT+ Conference
- Date
- 27 July 2022
- Decision
- Carried
LGBT+ people have been and are still experiencing verbal and physical bullying from colleagues, customers or service users because of their sexual orientation / identity and some still do not feel confident about reporting homo/bi and transphobic bullying in their workplace.
According to Stonewall more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) have hidden that they are LGBT at work for fear of discrimination. Almost one in five LGBT staff (18 per cent) have been the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues because they’re LGBT.
Almost one in five LGBT people (18 per cent) who were looking for work said they were discriminated against because of their identity while trying to get a job and one in eight trans people (12 per cent) have been physically attacked by customers or colleagues in the last year.
Almost two in five bi people (38 per cent) aren’t out to anyone at work about their sexual orientation, compared to seven per cent of gay men and four per cent of lesbians. While one in four trans people (26 per cent) aren’t open with anyone at work about being trans.
Conference, UNISON has long been a supporter of the LGBT+ movement, and stand in solidarity with us today and equality in employment and employment rights are key UNISON issues. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) report the number of people employed in in the UK is 32.1 million and of this 5.67 million are employed within the public service sector, UNISONs membership equates to 22.9% of this. UNISON should be the trade union of choice not just for LGBT+ people but for all people.
Conferences requests the national LGBT+ committee to:
1. Continue to actively work with and proactively encourage branches and associated partners to promote UNISON membership for LGBT+ employees;
2. Support the research of members for their experience in seeking employment, as well as their experiences during interview
3. Support the use of the research to enable UNISON branches and LGBT+ groups to help continue to fight discrimination of LGBT+ workers on a national, regional and local level by lobbying Members of UK Parliament, Members of the Senedd, Members of the Scottish Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland; and,
4. Support branches (if required) to raise awareness of these issues with their employers to enable a better understanding and to stand against LGBT+ discrimination.