Category: women’s rights

International motions on women’s rights and Palestine passed at NDC

Chaired by Libby Nolan, the third morning of UNISON’s 2023 national delegate conference saw declarations of international solidarity, particularly on women’s rights and Palestine.

The conference session began with a one minute silence to pay respects to Alan Jinkinson, UNISON’s first general secretary who died last year.

Delegates then heard two impassioned speeches from trade union leader Gonul Erden and Rosa Pavanelli (pictured), the general secretary of Public Services International, the global union federation for public sector trade unions.

Ms Erden, only recently released from prison in Turkey, addressed UNISON members over video message: “My main strength in overcoming this difficult period comes from solidarity from comrades like you.”

Rosa Pavanelli’s speech, calling for global solidarity to defeat the rise in “far right populism”, was met with a standing ovation.

Women’s rights

The first motion passed was on ‘defending and improving women’s rights internationally’. Introduced by the national women’s committee, the motion invited powerful speeches from numerous activists. 

Branch secretary of Camden UNISON Liz Wheatley said: “We live in a world where women are treated as second-class citizens, it’s true here, and it’s true around the world.”

Ms Wheatley also called for solidarity with Carla Foster, the mum of three who received a prison sentence this week for ending her pregnancy. Ms Wheatley said: “UNISON has a proud history of defending abortion rights”

Another speaker articulated how intertwined the struggles for labour rights and women’s rights are: “All of these issues are interlinked. If you want to fight sexual harassment at work, you need secure employment. If you want to flee an abusive relationship, you need the money to do it. Economic independence is crucial. All of these things go together.”

The motion calls on the union’s commitment to:

  • continue to work internationally to defend abortion rights;
  • continue to work with the International Committee and the National Women’s Committee to provide solidarity with women who are on the frontline in demanding trade union rights, peace and social justice, specifically in Colombia and Turkey;
  • work with the National Women’s Committee to show solidarity with women in Iran and explore ways to help them fight oppression and discrimination.

Palestine

The second motion passed was on trade union solidarity with Palestine. 

Introducing the motion, a speaker from Belfast referred to the recent Amnesty International report that officially categorises Israel as an apartheid state. 

The motion calls on the national executive council to:

  • encourage distribution of and discussion on the new guide for UNISON activists: ‘Talking about Palestinian rights’;
  • support Amnesty International’s call on the International Criminal Court to consider the crime of apartheid;
  • support branches to campaign for local government pension funds to engage with the companies they invest in and to demand they end their involvement in the occupied Palestinian territory and in the violation of Palestinian human rights;
  • defend the right of public bodies to purchase, procure and invest ethically, including by using BDS in support of Palestinian rights.

The motion was amended to include a commitment to “work with Labour Link to secure a commitment from the next Labour government to recognise Palestine as an independent state”. 

Proposing the amendment, Glenn Williams from the North West region reminded delegates that 72% of the 193 UN member states recognise Palestine as a state.

The article International motions on women’s rights and Palestine passed at NDC first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Workers’ protections at risk as EU Law bill moves through Parliament

Last week, the government’s Retained EU Law bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons.

The bill, introduced by former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, has set a fast-moving conveyor belt in motion, which will see essential protections for workers automatically vanish in December 2023, unless the government decides to produce new and equivalent UK laws.

UNISON is horrified by the measures included in the Retained EU Law bill. Many core workplace protections – including holiday pay, maternity/paternity leave, protections for part-time workers and equal pay for women and men – come from the European Union.

EU protections

For decades, EU laws have ensured decent working standards in the UK, shielding workers from exploitation and discrimination. Without this shield, workers in the UK will be exposed to an Americanised, hire-and-fire culture that makes work more insecure and dangerous – especially for women.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea describes the bill as “an attack on all working women”.

Protections for working women have been developed over decades through a mixture of EU legislation, UK legislation and case law. Separating out those decisions will reverse years of progress for women, including:

?  equal pay: being able to challenge your employer if a member of the opposite sex gets paid more for doing the same job;

?  family friendly policies: being paid for maternity, paternity and parental leave along with any protections against unfair treatment, such as being sacked or being overlooked for promotion, when taking such leave;

?  pregnancy protections: protections against discrimination for pregnant women and women on maternity leave, and the right to suitable alternative work on no less favourable terms.

The bill now moves to committee stage, where a select group of MPs will examine it in detail and review evidence from expert organisations. UNISON will be submitting evidence in this process.

“Cruel and outmoded”

Since the bill was announced, UNISON has heard from hundreds of concerned members, who described what life was like at work before improvements to maternity, paternity and parental leave.

UNISON member Joe Walinets said: “I am old enough to remember the time when many women were routinely sacked for becoming pregnant, until the late 1970s.

“I remember female family members, colleagues and friends continuing to suffer harsh discrimination in the workplace, until 1993 [when the European Commission directive came into force].

“I was lucky enough to be among the first men to benefit from paternity leave, when my first child was born in 2004. Even then, I remember how my employer tried to get me back after 8 days instead of the statutory 10. The law was my greatest ally in telling them where to go with that, coupled with my union membership.”

Member, Pauline McSorley, said: “I had my child in 1996 before parental leave was established. I felt very much alone with the responsibility. My husband would have benefited from time to get used to parenthood.

“My council employer reduced my maternity leave from full pay to half after 12 weeks, therefore I had to return to work when my baby was 10 weeks. We should never return to these very basic standards. On reflection they were cruel and outmoded, even then.”

Another member said: “I was sacked from a part-time job in the early 1970s because I was pregnant. The excuse was that it could be slippery and I could fall!”

“Bonfire of workers’ rights”

Now that Jacob Rees-Mogg has resigned as business secretary, there has been speculation that new prime minister Rishi Sunak will extend the bill’s deadline from December 2023 to December 2026.

This comes in response to reports that critics, including legal experts and the government lawyer who designed the concept of retained EU law, say the timetable of reviewing 2,400 laws in little more than a year is unrealistic.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that the prime minister had been told it would take 400 staff in the business department alone to review 300 pieces of legislation that resulted from directives, decisions and EU rules over the past 50 years and that, given the cost of living crisis, this was impractical.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “At a time when working people are experiencing huge financial pressures and uncertainties, we need certainty, stability and support – not a bonfire of workers’ rights.

“This government doesn’t have any mandate to strip away paid holidays, health and safety protections or to roll back rights that support working parents.”

UNISON’s head of legal services Shantha David, said: “UK citizens are entitled to expect basic employment rights in the 21st century. Yet the government’s plan to strip away essential protections around equal pay, maternity, paternity and holiday pay, and protections for outsourced workers, will leave working people open to exploitation, and without any access to justice.”

UNISON remains determined to fight back against the threats to workers’ protections in the Retained EU Law Bill.

The article Workers’ protections at risk as EU Law bill moves through Parliament first appeared on the UNISON National site.