{"id":16091,"date":"2018-09-07T15:34:56","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T14:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=16091"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:58:16","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:58:16","slug":"unite-period-dignity-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=16091","title":{"rendered":"Ending the taboo"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Campaigners celebrated in 2016 when Parliament first voted to end VAT on sanitary products<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the so-called \u00e2\u20ac\u0098tampon tax\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But two years later, women across the UK are still waiting for action \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the government has said eliminating the 5 per cent VAT on sanitary products, which are currently taxed as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098luxury items\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, is now being stalled at the EU level.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some progress is certainly being made \u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u201c in August, the Scottish government announced, in a world first, a new scheme that would make free sanitary products available to students<\/a> at all schools, colleges and universities in Scotland.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Workplace campaign<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Now, Unite has launched its own campaign to give free access to tampons and pads in workplaces across the UK.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe wanted to campaign against period poverty but we wanted to go beyond this and make it a workplace campaign too,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 explained Unite regional officer Suzanne Reid.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reid is leading Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity campaign, which started in the North East Yorkshire and Humberside region but is now being rolled out throughout the union.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re aiming to make free sanitary products in workplaces the norm,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Reid explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOne colleague of mine put it brilliantly \u00e2\u20ac\u201c men don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always use toilet paper but I bet they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re glad it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s widely available when they do need it. The same should be true for female workers. Women don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always need to use tampons or pads but they should be there for them when they do \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that simple.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reid told UNITELive that the union is setting its sights even higher with its Period Dignity campaign.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘Natural process’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe want to change the entire conversation around periods,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bNo one should have to scurry off secretly to the toilet or feel embarrassed about menstruation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bHaving a period is a natural process that should never be a source of awkwardness. Unite believes that by changing perceptions we can tackle some of the wider issues around periods and ensure that no woman or girl faces period poverty.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The number of young women who cannot afford to buy sanitary products is shocking \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a Plan International UK survey<\/a> found one in 10 girls or women aged 14 to 21 are unable to afford sanitary products. And more than one in 10 have had to improvise sanitary wear \u00e2\u20ac\u201c for example wearing a sock or using toilet paper \u00e2\u20ac\u201c because of affordability issues.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite is fully supportive of campaigns to tackle period poverty but Reid explained why Unite chose to go beyond affordability.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeriod poverty campaigns, which are in themselves absolutely crucial, may focus on, for example, donating sanitary products to food banks. We at Unite are seeking to complement this work because we believe we shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t limit the conversation to affordability.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAccess to sanitary products should be a right. There are many instances when women may be \u00e2\u20ac\u0098caught short\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t related to affordability \u00e2\u20ac\u201c take for example women who are going through menopause but may still occasionally have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098surprise\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 period.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rolls-Royce success<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity campaign has had its first major success after Rolls-Royce Washington in Sunderland this week (September 3) signed up to the campaign\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s charter and has agreed to offer free sanitary products at no costs in its toilets.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn today’s world no woman should feel uncomfortable about menstruation,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite convenor at Rolls-Royce Washington Gary Andrews. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt has been a taboo subject for too many years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite has encouraged the company to show its support by putting in free sanitary vending machines in all female toilets on the Washington Rolls-Royce campus as well as signing up our site to Unite’s period dignity charter,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s workplace branch at Rolls-Royce Washington is also making a donation to a local women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s charity to help purchase sanitary products for women who are facing period poverty.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Female staff at Rolls-Royce Washington were thrilled by the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s support.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great that Rolls-Royce is supporting Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity campaign,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite member and Rolls-Royce worker Alice Fletcher. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI know that I never need to feel embarrassed or ashamed about being on my period at work and I feel confident that I will never be \u00e2\u20ac\u0098caught short\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 with an unexpected period.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite member and Rolls-Royce worker Sarah Turnbull agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re proud that Rolls-Royce North East Campus is the first to sign up to the period dignity campaign and hope other companies soon follow,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reassuring to know that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have supplies available if we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re ever in need as it can be a genuine cause for concern and this is sure to save any embarrassment in future. Fingers crossed this gets plenty of attention and the archaic \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Tampon Tax\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 will finally be abolished!\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reid likewise praised Rolls-Royce\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s support and urged other workplaces to follow their lead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Equality fight<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

She told UNITElive that beyond workplace campaigning, Unite is also working with the teaching union NASUWT to campaign for free sanitary products for both students at staff at schools. The union is likewise looking to link up with Hey Girls<\/a>, a company in Scotland that makes a range of environmentally-friendly sanitary products.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Because Hey Girls donates a pack of pads or tampons for every product a customer buys, Unite is hoping workplaces that sign up to the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity charter will use Hey Girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 products, in effect tackling period poverty while supplying their workplace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reid added that Unite will not let up in the fight against the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098tampon tax\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government has said it will scrap the tax once the UK leaves the EU but we aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t holding our breath,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Reid said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is an outrage that sanitary products are classified as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098luxury items\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 while items like pita bread and cream cakes are deemed to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0098essential\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite national officer Siobhan Endean hailed Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity campaign as part of the wider fight for women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s equalities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeriod dignity is essential to health and well-being at work,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWomen workers should have access to women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s toilets, to regular breaks, with sanitary protection provided in all women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s toilets. Unite welcomes Rolls-Royce\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lead in signing up to Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity charter and we call on all employers to follow their lead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Period Dignity campaign is part and parcel of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wider campaigning for decent pay and conditions for women at work. The best way to get a pay rise is through collective bargaining \u00e2\u20ac\u201c women in workplaces across the UK are signing up to Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s membership. We say to all working women \u00e2\u20ac\u201c join us!\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Find out more about Unite’s Period Dignity campaign, and how you can get your workplace involved, here.\u00c2\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Campaigners celebrated in 2016 when Parliament first voted to end VAT on sanitary products \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the so-called \u00e2\u20ac\u0098tampon tax\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.   But two years later, women across the UK are still waiting for action \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the government has said eliminating the 5 per cent VAT on sanitary products, which are currently taxed as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098luxury items\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[379,1007,209],"wps_subtitle":"Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity campaign achieves first major success at Rolls-Royce","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16091"}],"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=16091"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25915,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16091\/revisions\/25915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}