General Council Meetings - The STUC

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46 Chapter Seven Equality and Social Justice Women’s Committee The Women’s Committee carries out a wide range of work on promoting the women’s agenda, and tackling gender discrimination and inequality. The Women’s Committee is elected at the Annual STUC Women’s Conference. The motion-based Conference sets a campaigning agenda for the Women’s Committee, and the Committee’s liaison with the General Council allows for gender issues to be mainstreamed into the wider work of the STUC. 2007 ANNUAL WOMEN’S CONFERENCE The 80th Annual STUC Women’s Conference was held in the City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow on 13/14 November 2007, the theme of which was Violence Against Women and Children. Conference was chaired by Tricia McLaren, Glasgow TUC, and 133 delegates (representing 18 trade unions and 2 trades union councils) and 47 observers were in attendance. Conference was addressed by a range of speakers, including Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing; Morag Alexander, Scotland Commissioner, Equality and Human Rights Commission; and Nel Whiting, Scottish Women’s Aid. A number of trade union and sororal guests also addressed the Conference, including the STUC General Secretary, Grahame Smith. A special session was held on the afternoon of Tuesday 13 November, to celebrate the 80th Women’s Conference, and acknowledge the significant contribution of trade union women over the years. This session was addressed by Elaine C Smith; Phil McGarry, President STUC; and Committee member, Agnes Tolmie. Students of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Oran Mor Choir performed “The World Turned Upside Down”, a play about people’s movements in Latin America. The Lone Rangers group performed a number of songs on women’s issues. The Women’s Committee would wish to thank Equity for assisting in the organisation of the theatre performance, and EIS for providing financial support for the Lone Rangers’ performance. A lively Conference heard debates on domestic abuse, trafficking of women and children, abortion rights, ovarian cancer, closing the gender pay gap, and maternity rights. The Women’s Meritorious Award was this year presented to Linda Shanahan of the Fire Brigades Union, for her work in supporting women in the workplace and with trade union women. As with previous years, all women MSPs and Scottish women MPs were invited to attend Conference, and the Women’s Committee was pleased to welcome a number of them to Conference. The Committee would like to thank Glasgow City Council for hosting a civic reception on the Monday evening, where an 80th birthday cake was cut and shared amongst participants. DECISIONS OF CONFERENCE 2007 Full details of all decisions and reports adopted at Conference are available from Congress Office. Conference elected the following to serve on the Women’s Committee 2007/8: Margaret Boyd, GMB: Scotland Janet Cassidy, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Denise Christie, Fire Brigades Union Eileen Dinning, Unison: Scotland Elaine Dougall, Unite: T&G Section Margaret Fleming, Union of Shop, Distributive & Allied Workers Cheryl Gedling, Public & Commercial Services Union Natasha Gerson, Equity Patricia McLaren, Glasgow TUC Veronica Rankin, Educational Institute of Scotland Pauline Rourke, Communication Workers’ Union Tina Taylor, Unite: Amicus Section Cheryl Gedling, Public & Commercial Services Union, was elected as Chair of the Women’s Committee for 2007/8, with Pauline Rourke, Communication Workers’ Union, as Vice Chair. WOMEN’S COMMITTEE PRIORITIES 2007/08 The Women’s Committee has continued to pursue work on a wide range of issues over the past year. The key priorities for the Committee for the 2007/08 period were developed following detailed consideration of the decisions of Conference 2007, the continuing priorities for the Committee, and the work plan of the General Council. The Women’s Committee’s work incorporates a number of cross-cutting themes of tackling poverty, SCOTTISH TRADES UNION CONGRESS
challenging exploitation of women and promoting equality. The key priorities for the Committee are: ● Supporting Women in the Workplace ● Women’s Representation ● Health and Wellbeing ● Combating Violence against Women and Children. Supporting Women in the Workplace The Committee has undertaken substantial activity to support women at work and in the trade union movement, emphasising how unions work for women. Closing the Gender Pay Gap Closing the gender pay gap continues to be a key priority for the Committee, and it continues to support the work of the Close the Gap Project, ensuring it has an effective trade union focus. The Committee was pleased to join with Close the Gap to host a successful Women and Pensions Conference on 30 May 2007. The then Chair of the Committee, Tricia McLaren, chaired proceedings, and the Conference was addressed by speakers from the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Pensions Policy Institute, the Poverty Alliance, and the Scottish Pensioners’ Forum. The STUC now chairs the Close the Gap Partnership, which has secured funding until end of June 2008, and hopes to persuade Ministers to continue these resources for a third phase of the initiative. The STUC supported and helped to distribute the innovative Scottish Women’s Convention Equal Pay Guide to women trade unionists over the past year. Further campaign work on closing the pay gap is planned for this year. Following the Secretary’s participation in an Equal Opportunities Roundtable event with the new Minister for Communities and Sport, Stewart Maxwell MSP, in August 2007, the STUC, Scottish Women’s Convention, and Scottish Women’s Budget Group met the Minister on 6 December 2007, to urge the Scottish Government to consider further action to tackle the gender pay gap. At a Scottish Women’s Budget Group meeting at the Scottish Parliament on 23 January 2008, the General Council pressed the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, to ensure gender pay is on the agenda of the National Economic Forum, and queried progress of the Cross Directorate Group on Occupational Segregation. Tackling Discrimination and Promoting Equality in the Workplace The Women’s Committee has continued to monitor progress with the establishment of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and was delighted that its Scotland Commissioner, Morag Alexander, addressed the Women’s Conference. The Committee engaged with the Health and Safety Executive, expressing the concerns of a 2006 Women’s Conference motion on how the menopause is considered as a workplace issue. GENERAL COUNCIL REPORT 2008 The Committee participated in a meeting with the Westminster Minister for Women and Equality, Harriet Harman MP, on Friday 1 February. The meeting provided an opportunity to argue for statutory rights for equality reps, and strengthened legislation on equal pay. The Gender Equality Duty The General Council was represented on the EOC’s Scottish Advisory Board on the Public Sector Gender Equality Duty, inputting into the consultation on the Code of Practice, and advising on sectoral guidance for the Gender Duty. The STUC has since circulated the EOC’s approach to enforcement and its sectoral guidance to trade unions, to assist in their bargaining approaches. The Gender Equality Duty was debated at last year’s Congress, and a General Council statement on Equal Pay incorporated Gender Equality Duty requirements for public bodies to publish an equal pay statement. The Women’s Committee was pleased to support an STUC Conference on all three Equality Duties, including Gender, which is reported on later in this chapter. Supporting and Developing Women in the Trade Union Movement The Committee organised two women’s weekend schools in 2007, unfortunately the May school in Perth was not able to go ahead, due to a lack of delegates, however, a very well attended school on presentation skills and assertiveness took place in Glasgow on 27–28 October 2007. Given the lack of interest in the Spring schools, the Committee is this year planning to host a school in the Autumn, and another early in 2009. The Committee would wish to formally record its thanks to all those women who have given their time, knowledge and experience to tutor at the schools. To mark the 80th Anniversary of the STUC Women’s Conference, the Committee invited the Women’s Committees’ Council of the Isles to meet in Glasgow on 2 November 2007. A lively and informative meeting debated devolution and political developments in the different nations and their implications for trade unionists. The meeting also considered the trafficking of women, closing the gender pay gap, and the TUC’s Equality Audit. Over the past year, the Women’s Committee has been considering the Women’s Conference Constitution, to ensure that it is appropriate for the Scottish trade union movement in the 21st Century. The Committee has proposed a number of amendments to the Women’s Conference Constitution to the General Council, which aim to clarify Conference arrangements, and to ensure a Women’s Committee is elected that is fully representative of Scottish women trade unionists. Women’s Representation Representing Trade Union Women The Committee continues to ensure that trade union women and their families are effectively represented in 47
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General Council Meetings - The STUC

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