After fighting through floods and storms, delegates convened in Brighton this afternoon for UNISON’s national women’s conference.
President Maureen Le Marinel addressed delegates, and she began by sending a “message of thanks from this conference” to all those who had been working to deal with the floods, “our members – not just from the Environment Agency – keeping our communities safe, working across the board; ambulance, fire, police, including our armed services,” she said.
She went on to say that, for all the government’s claims of an economic recovery, only a tiny percent of the population are feeling any benefit at all, while “record numbers of women are unemployed and the over-50s have been hit most”.
What’s happening, she added, “goes even further than Margaret Thatcher herself dared.”
Ms Le Marinel – “the first out, gay president of our union” – stressed the value that self organisation plays in ensuring that “all our members’ voices are heard and that they all play a part in shaping our agenda and our union”.
And she told the hall: “We are a force to be reckoned with and this government needs to remember that.”
Highlighting the increasing poverty that means a rise in food banks and pay-day loan sharks, she said that it also means that two thirds of children suffering poverty are now from working families.
The president also took the opportunity to highlight the work of her charity for the year, the UK Acquired Brain Injury Fund.
As conference business got under way, the chair of the national committee, Janet Richmond, said that the Tories “are boasting that they’ve fixed the economy, but at what cost?
“It’s outrageous that we have members who are having to rely on food banks.”
She also highlighted the ‘lobbying’ bill, which instead of regulating lobbying of politicians by corporate interests, will prevent the likes of UNISON campaigning at the general election.
As debate got under way, delegates backed motions on being active in union and supporting education for women in UNISON.
Eve White from the South East region told conference that “education should be available to everyone” and said that the union provided the opportunity for women to learn in safety.
Other delegates also stressed the importance of mentoring to help bring women activists on.
Amanda Brown from Dorset Country told conference of her experience as a learning rep working with non-unionised care workers who lack educational opportunities.
Because of that work, she said that, in the past year, they had “recruited and trained the highest number of ULRs [union learning reps] in the UK,” which had, in turn, boosted general activism.
Becky Gardiner, for the national young members’ forum, urged delegates to find ways of encouraging young women to get more involved in the union and in self organisation.
