National Black Members’ Committee (NBMC) is appalled at Channel 4’s manipulation of the current Celebrity Big Brother programme. NBMC is concerned that the blatant flaunting of racism and bullying of Shilpa by her housemates Jade, Danielle and Jo is totally unacceptable and has no place in the 21st Century. Channel 4 views itself as being […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that while UNISON faces the challenge of negotiating facility time per se, Black members and activists face additional barriers to participation. Conference believes we cannot all continue to juggle work, home and trade union activities without adequate facility time and paid time off for duties and activities that support the work of challenging […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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, […]
Conference notes that despite the shortage of prison places, and the current overcrowding in Britain’s jails, women are still far more likely to receive custodial sentences than men committing comparable crimes. Conference is also concerned to note that despite comprising only six per cent of the prison population, 55 per cent of all self-harm incidents […]
Conference notes with concern the recent increase in the numbers of men travelling abroad solely for the purpose of procuring sex. Whilst Conference acknowledges that this increase is partly due to the availability of cheaper air fares, Conference is also aware that sex tourism is yet another by-product of globalisation, which has amplified disparities of […]