Conference welcomes the new rights for parents and carers to be introduced in the Work and Families Act, which will come into force in April 2007 It notes that parents and carers struggling to achieve work life balance will now be able to take advantage of the following improvements: 1)Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance and […]
Conference motions
This conference notes the War on Want report “Fashion Victims, The true cost of cheap clothes and Primark, Asda and Tesco” published on 8th December 2006, which highlighted the working conditions of the predominantly female workforce within the textile factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which produces clothes for Primark, Asda and Tesco. This report found that […]
Research at national and international level has consistently shown that domestic violence is a form of gender specific violence. Violence against women is a violation of internationally guaranteed human rights, rights which the United Kingdom (UK) has signed up to, such as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against […]
Many years have elapsed since we had ‘women in UNISON’ t-shirts, badges and literature available for promotional events, recruitment campaigns and collective identity. Although some individual branches and regions have sourced their own items for particular events, we miss having a national supply of ‘women in UNISON’ goods that we can all access, use and […]
For years Women in UNISON have been active in the campaign “Raise the Roof on Domestic Violence”. This campaign has made great progress and now men have launched their own campaign on violence and women. On the White Ribbon campaign website, www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/, it states that the “White Ribbon Campaign UK is the United Kingdom branch […]
Conference applauds the Spanish government in taking the first step on putting pressure on the Association of Fashion Designers to use a calculation known as the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is based on weight and height to reject excessively thin models. The World Health Organisation says a person’s BMI should be between 18 and […]
Conference is appalled to note that, according to data from Rape Crisis : 1)one in four women have experienced rape or attempted rape; 2)one in seven women have been coerced into sex, rising to one in three among divorced and separated women; 3)the most common perpetrators of rape are husbands and partners; 4)ninety-seven per cent […]
Conference notes that the government has responded to the Women and Work Commission’s report, and has published an action plan “From the playground to the boardroom”, which is designed to break down barriers to women’s achievement. Measures include: 1)the roll-out of new ‘Equality Reps’ across England; 2)a major new ‘Exemplar Employer Initiative’ – the government […]
Conference is pleased to note that with effect from April 2007, there will be a statutory duty on all public authorities to have due regard to the need to: 1)eliminate unlawful sex discrimination; 2)promote equality of opportunity between men and women Public authorities will no longer be able to simply respond to complaints of sex […]
The plight of many women held against their will and used as sex slaves came to the public’s attention during the World Cup in Germany, however this is only the tip of the iceberg. In Britain there are estimated to be at least 5,000 women who may be working as prostitutes after being trafficked to […]
The issue of domestic abuse is not a new issue but an ongoing one. Many women of all nationalities and cultures suffer in their everyday work and domestic life. The consequences are many and varied and may include physical, psychological, cultural and financial abuse. The abuse can be continuous or sporadic and often occurs during […]
Conference recognises the importance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month each year and welcomes any initiative that raises the public knowledge of this cruel disease. Conference acknowledges and applauds the fundraising efforts of retailers who contribute to the campaign by promoting the sale of ‘Pink Products’. However, Conference is concerned that, in some cases, consumers who […]
Conference welcomes the recent report of the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) entitled “In-Depth Study on all Forms of Violence against Women” which acknowledges the role of violence against women (VAW) in perpetuating the subordination of women in all societies throughout the globe. The UN report specifically states that strengthening efforts to achieve […]
Conference is concerned that a woman’s right to access safe and legal abortion is increasingly coming under attack. Pro Life, a misleadingly titled anti-choice organisation which aims to criminalise all abortion, is gaining media time and coverage. They have already influenced and encouraged an Early Day Motion which commits Parliament to a review of the […]
Conference is pleased to note that UNISON has purchased the site of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital for conversion to its new national office. Elizabeth Garret Anderson (EGA) 1836-1917 was the first woman to qualify as a doctor in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1865. As universities did not admit women she had a struggle, […]