{"id":17321,"date":"2019-02-14T09:05:36","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T09:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=17321"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:57:42","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:57:42","slug":"no-need-secretly-scurry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=17321","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098No need to secretly scurry’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Since\u00c2\u00a0Unite’s Period Dignity\u00c2\u00a0campaign national launch last September, the initiative has seen a series of successes among business both small and large, including just last week aerospace giant Rolls-Royce, which signed up to the campaign globally<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 In part 4 of our #HeartUnions series, we take a look back at how Unite’s Period Dignity campaign all got started.\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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So many of the rights, protections and provisions most people take for granted seem now entirely natural, embedded in our lives as mere facts \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we assume that most jobs will entail a weekend or rest days; office buildings will be wheelchair accessible; that the lifesaving seatbelts in our cars were always there.<\/p>\n

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But if you look closer, these did not magically come into being \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they were forced by the tireless campaigning of activists and lawmakers who believed in a more just, more equitable world.<\/p>\n

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This is what Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new Period Dignity campaign is hoping to achieve \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that one day, free access to tampons and pads in workplaces will be as unremarkable as free toilet paper.<\/p>\n

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\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

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Suzanne 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 nationwide.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re aiming to make free sanitary products in workplaces the norm,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Suzanne 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

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She told UniteLive that the union is setting its sights even higher with its Period Dignity campaign. \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. 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

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The number of young women who cannot afford to buy sanitary products is shocking \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a Plan International UK survey found one in 10 girls or women aged 14 to 21 are unable to afford sanitary products.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite is fully supportive of campaigns to tackle period poverty but Suzanne 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

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\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

Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity campaign had its first major success in September after Rolls-Royce Washington in Sunderland 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

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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

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\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 Alice Fletcher. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI know that I never need to feel embarrassed or ashamed about being on my period at work.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Her colleague Sarah Turnbull agreed. \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.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Rolls-Royce has now committed to signing up to the charter not only nationally but globally as well so that now every Rolls-Royce site in 50 countries across the world will have free sanitary products in their toilets.<\/p>\n

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Other employers have signed up as well including leisure contractor Everyone Active, Nexus, Morrish Solicitors and Thompsons Solicitors, while many more businesses have shown interest.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen is our members have approached their employers on a local level, and then as in the case of Rolls Royce and Everyone Active, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve taken it to a national level and even global level,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Reid explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd what started as a Unite initiative is also being supported by the TUC and other unions.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Period Dignity campaign had its official national launch at the Labour Party conference last September. Unite regional secretary Karen Reay hailed Labour’s support.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe response to our campaign has been nothing but absolutely positive,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Karen said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of those campaigns we know will be a win from the very beginning. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a campaign that many think \u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00c2\u00a0 why hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anyone done this before? Now we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just looking to take it to the next level.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, who attended the launch alongside London mayor Sadiq Khan as well as other MPs and Labour Party attendees, praised the Unite campaign. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is a truly grassroots campaign that will take root and will spread like wildfire throughout the whole country,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Len said.<\/p>\n

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Suzanne added that Unite will not let up in the fight against the Tampon Tax \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which Labour has committed to ending, while the government has stalled despite its pledge to scrap it in 2016.<\/p>\n

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\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 Suzanne said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is an outrage that sanitary products are classified as \u00e2\u20ac\u0098luxury items\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 while 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<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Period Dignity campaign is part 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. 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 employer to sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since\u00c2\u00a0Unite’s Period Dignity\u00c2\u00a0campaign national launch last September, the initiative has seen a series of successes among business both small and large, including just last week aerospace giant Rolls-Royce, which signed up to the campaign globally.\u00c2\u00a0 In part 4 of our #HeartUnions series, we take a look back at how Unite’s Period Dignity campaign all got […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[483,1007],"wps_subtitle":"Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new period dignity fight is making great inroads","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17321"}],"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=17321"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25533,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17321\/revisions\/25533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}