- Conference
- 2024 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 12 October 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the rule change passed at National Delegate Conference 2023 which raised the age limit for young members from all those aged 26 and under to all those aged 30 and under.
Conference further notes that this roughly doubles the number of young members in UNISON, and is therefore a unique opportunity to build engagement and activism among young members, particularly young women.
Conference notes the wealth of research showing that young women are severely impacted by the cost of living crisis and that this has a gendered impact, in particular the 2023 research from the Young Women’s Trust which showed that young women are struggling more than their male peers with the rising costs of energy, food and housing.
In short, conference believes that young women need trade unions, and trade unions need young women. UNISON should be actively encouraging young women to join and become involved in union activism.
Conference notes the 2020 report from the National Young Members Forum, ‘Getting Active in UNISON’ which highlighted some of the barriers faced by young women who want to get more active in UNISON.
Conference believes UNISON’s National Women’s Committee has a vital role to play in developing the next generation of women in trade unions.
Conference asks the National Women’s Committee to:
1)Promote awareness of the rule change across UNISON’s women’s structures in branches and regions
2)Liaise with the National Young Members Forum to assess the numbers of young women actively involved in UNISON and to map their membership and involvement;
3)Work with the National Young Members Forum to build engagement by young women members with UNISON’s womens’ structures, at branch, regional and national level;
4)Work with the National Young Members Forum to identify some of the barriers experienced by young women members in becoming activists, and to develop ways of reducing or eliminating these;
5)Consider developing a leadership programme for young women trade unionists in UNISON and identifying funds for a training and mentoring programme which supports young women to develop the skills and abilities they need to become lifelong trade unionists.