WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE

With the General Election over and a Con Dem Coalition in Government, the proposed cuts to public services will have a dramatic effect on the lives of women. Statistics show that many women do not use their vote and do not feel that casting their vote is important. In May 2011 the local elections will […]

BUILDING INTERNATIONAL LINKS

This Conference is proud of the reputation that UNISON has on International work. In the Greater London Region, the Regional Women’s Committee (RWC) has been developing links with the Nicaraguan Communal Movement (NCM), through the Nicaraguan Solidarity Campaign, and in 2010 co-sponsored the development of a social project for the improvement in living conditions for […]

APPRENTICES AND GENDER STEREOTYPING

Conference notes the report “Apprenticeships and gender” produced by the TUC and YWCA England and Wales in October 2010. Conference is concerned that the report finds that “although the problems of occupational segregation, gender stereotyping, poor careers advice, low pay and lack of progression for women in the apprenticeships system is well documented and well […]

DON’T CONDEM YOUNG WOMEN

Conference believes that young women are amongst those most likely to suffer as a consequence of the damaging policies being pursued by the Con-Dem Government. Conference also believes that: 1)the job losses predicted by the Treasury of up to 600,000 jobs in the public sector and up to 700,000 in the private sector will have […]

FORCED MARRIAGES

Conference notes with alarm that each summer hundreds of girls and boys, largely from South Asian communities in Derby, Nottingham, Huddersfield, Leicester, Oldham, Hounslow in London, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Bradford and Leeds travel with their families to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh where they are forced into marriages. A marriage where they are coerced into marrying someone […]

REMOVAL OF ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCES/ENHANCEMENTS AND ITS EFFECT ON LOW PAID AND PART-TIME WOMEN WORKERS

Conference is alarmed at Birmingham City Council’s threat to remove additional allowances, night shift enhance pay, car allowances and entitlement of meals which forms part of the employees terms and condition of employment, the most effected will be low paid and part time female workers as well as Black female workers who depend on this […]

IVF POLICIES

When a woman embarks on IVF treatment she declares in advance she is planning to have a baby. An employer may discriminate against her either intentionally or otherwise by not sending her on training courses or holding her back from promotion as “she’ll probably be on maternity leave next year”. As well as fear of […]

AIRBRUSHING

This Conference is concerned at the increasing levels of the artificial portrayal of women in the media. It is recognised this has a disproportionate impact on women and young girls. This can undermine the self esteem of these women and young girls when they are unable to obtain this artificial standard leading to increasing levels […]

WOMEN AND PENSIONS

A larger proportion of women than men have no pension provision for the future although the Government proposes to introduce the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) for those whose employers do not have pension plans. A compulsory system that only the lowest paid will be able to contract out of this will still be unsuitable […]