- Conference
- 2024 Water, Environment & Transport Conference
- Date
- 26 February 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that 2024 is UNISON’s Year of LGBT+ Workers and welcomes the opportunity that this provides to promote UNISON as the union for LGBT+ workers in the WET sectors, raise awareness of LGBT+ rights, challenge discrimination, negotiate LGBT+ inclusive policies and recruit and activate LGBT+ members in the WET industries.
The year highlights the important contributions our LGBT+ members make to the WET service group, to improving employment conditions for LGBT+ workers and to campaigning more broadly on equality for LGBT+ people.
The LGBT+ self-organised group has been key to campaigns to improve the rights of LGBT+ people within the workplace and wider society while playing an active role in the repeal of section 28, equalisation of the age of consent, and the introduction of civil partnerships and equal marriage for LGBT+ people, however there is still much to do.
Most recently, the national LGBT+ committee has helped to create the successful trans ally training across our union. This aids members to better understand the issues our trans, non-binary and gender diverse members face and how to be allies to them. We are proud of how many members have taken part in this programme and how many trans, non-binary and gender diverse members have become activists because of this work. It also shows that by equipping members with knowledge and empathy, we can facilitate more welcoming and supportive workplaces.
We need to continue to encourage active recruitment and promotion of LGBT+ WET members and strive for LGBT+ representation at a branch, regional and service group level. By fostering diversity in leadership, we not only provide role models for LGBT+ members but also bring diverse perspectives to decision-making, benefiting the entire WET service group. To achieve this, WET branches need to support local LGBT+ Pride events, run awareness campaigns within the workplace and make UNISON’s LGBT+ resources visible.
Conference believes that the Year of LGBT+ Workers can be used as a tool to negotiate with employers to improve inclusion in workplaces for LGBT+ members within all aspects of the WET industries, for example, adopting trans inclusion policies.
Conference acknowledges that tackling systemic and ingrained discrimination against LGBT+ members within WET industries will take more than one year. Conference further recognises the need to capitalise on the success of the year to continue our work and embed the work on LGBT+ equality in all areas, especially when negotiating with employers.
Conference calls on the WET Service Group Executive to:
1. Promote UNISON’s year of LGBT+ workers including at national and regional events
2. Encourage branches with to use days in the LGBT+ calendar to promote the work that UNISON does for LGBT+ equality
3. Promote and encourage the use of UNISON LGBT+ guidance, fact sheets and model policies within workplaces
4. Follow up on the motions which have been passed by previous WET service group conferences to deliver the bargaining agendas on LGBT+ rights and equality in the workplace
5. Work with the national LGBT+ committee to run a webinar on the Year of the LGBT+ workers for members in WET
6. Promote and encourage participation in equality training, and in particular the trans ally training.