{"id":14747,"date":"2018-03-08T11:37:34","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T11:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=14747"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:59:07","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:59:07","slug":"international-womens-day-unite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=14747","title":{"rendered":"Because change never comes from above"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

One hundred years ago was the beginning of equal rights for women in Britain. But the limited right to vote introduced in 1918<\/a> was not gifted to women by parliament, it was achieved by the heroic and courageous suffragettes, and those who fought with them, who forced the government to act.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Because change never comes from above. It has to be won by those who need and demand it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Much media fanfare accompanied the celebrations of the anniversary of the Representation of the People Act. But as we also mark International Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day, Unite equalities officer Siobhan Endean is clear that the fight for equality at work, in our wider society and internationally, goes well beyond women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suffrage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Which is why Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s purpose as a trade union, in standing up against injustice and inequality at work, is building women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s power in their workplaces, communities and in their union.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite women have been standing for election to workplace rep and branch officer positions,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Siobhan said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe can only achieve greater equality in our workplaces if our union is representative of the workforce.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBy building the biggest and most democratic structure of women we strengthen organisation and build Unite. Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voices are essential to changing our workplaces and our society.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But one woman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice marking that suffrage milestone was striking for what it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Women and austerity<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When prime minister Theresa May made a speech in Manchester, the birthplace of the women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suffrage movement, it was as if the political party she leads had nothing to do with the economic policies that have hit women, ethnic minorities and families the hardest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Diana Holland, Unite assistant general secretary for equalities, picks this up. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWomen as workers and carers have faced an onslaught of government-led attacks on their rights, their finances and their security,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had eight years of austerity, public sector cuts, job losses and the pay cap and some\u00c2\u00a086 per cent of the burden of that austerity has fallen on women, increasing women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s poverty.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhere was the acknowledgement of this shameful, disproportionate impact on women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lives?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Theresa May also claimed the gender pay gap is at its smallest ever. The reality is it hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really changed in 100 years. Women still earn on average 20 per cent less<\/a> an hour than men and low pay is endemic in jobs done mainly by women, the kind of insecure jobs that dominate the so-called gig economy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bToo many women are stuck in temporary, zero-hour or other unstable work and missing out on basic rights at work including rest breaks, paid holidays, and the right not to be sexually harassed,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Siobhan Endean.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite equalities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When Britain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s second woman prime minister doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak for working women, there is an urgent need for more female MPs who do. Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s future candidates programme and the leadership training the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s equalities committees provide are already having an impact on parliament\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s green benches.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite is actively helping and supporting women members to stand as councillors, MPs and for other positions in public life,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Siobhan explains. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThrough the programme we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the election of Marsha de Cordova, Kate Osamor and Laura Pidcock \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all former members of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s equalities committees \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to Parliament, so our work in encouraging women members to engage politically is already seeing progress. Power comes through who you take with you, which is why women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leadership is key to Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To this end, the annual Unite Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s National Week<\/a> includes a leadership course for women who want to build on their union involvement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite has also put its equality agenda centre stage politically through the Labour party. All Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s equality policies were in Labour\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s radical 2017 manifesto, including a commitment to give statutory rights for union equality reps, meaning they will finally have the time to protect workers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Workers such as the predominantly women members in the hospitality sector, who Unite surveyed as part of the #notonthemenu campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some 93 per cent of respondents said they had experienced harassment first hand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This campaign links directly to Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work with a number of international trade union federations, including the IUF which brings together food, farm and hotel workers worldwide, and is making a real difference to women workers across the globe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite is also working with the International Transport Workers Federation in developing a common negotiating position with employers on violence against women transport workers, and with European transport workers on a training package for the workplace with women from unions in Bulgaria, France and the Netherlands. And internationally, with the global TUC, Unite is campaigning for a strong new international ILO (International Labour Organisation) standard on violence and harassment in the world of work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And staying on the international stage, Siobhan raises the Brexit process.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhere are working women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voices on Brexit? What will be the impact of Brexit on women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s jobs? What sort of trade deals do we want? Will they involve equality impact assessments?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese are difficult, divisive and dangerous times across our world. Now is the time to celebrate the achievements of Unite women and all trade union women,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 believes Diana Holland.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bFrom the early Ascott Martyrs who won the right to picket and the women chainmakers who achieved the first minimum wage, to the Ford machinists and speech therapists who transformed our equal pay rights, and the migrant domestic workers who won rights in place of slavery – nothing handed to us on a plate, all won through struggle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bInternational Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day (March 8) is our day to celebrate and to join with women hotel workers and others campaigning against sexual harassment. In the words of women 100 years ago, we must \u00e2\u20ac\u0098right these wrongs\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and in the words of today we must continue the struggle \u00e2\u20ac\u0098for the many not the few.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This feature first appeared in Unite Works \u00e2\u20ac\u201c latest edition out soon! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One hundred years ago was the beginning of equal rights for women in Britain. But the limited right to vote introduced in 1918 was not gifted to women by parliament, it was achieved by the heroic and courageous suffragettes, and those who fought with them, who forced the government to act.   Because change never […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[379,259,209],"wps_subtitle":"A century on Unite is still \u00e2\u20ac\u0098righting the wrongs\u00e2\u20ac\u2122","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14747"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14747"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26353,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14747\/revisions\/26353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}