{"id":29913,"date":"2021-09-12T18:18:22","date_gmt":"2021-09-12T17:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=29913"},"modified":"2021-09-13T12:09:58","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T11:09:58","slug":"actions-speak-louder-than-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=29913","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Actions speak louder than words\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA \u00e2\u20ac\u0098union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an inanimate object \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a living and evolving force for change \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as someone once said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s power in the union\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great to be a part of it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Cartmail said as she opened her address to the virtual audience.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSo let us take heart that Union membership has grown for the fourth year in a row, with 200,000 new members over the past three years \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cause for celebration \u00e2\u20ac\u201c our focus is to do even more to build membership and organisation.<\/p>\n

Women as leaders <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bDuring my year as President we have seen two women earn their place as the leaders of our two biggest unions.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bChristina McAnea, Unison\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first woman elected as general secretary by a union with a majority of women members. Representing workers at the forefront of providing essential services throughout the pandemic \u00e2\u20ac\u201c yet for many their \u00e2\u20ac\u0098women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 work is still undervalued and low paid. Christina is dedicated to changing that and I am proud to have her as a sister and friend.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd my friend [from Unite] Sharon Graham<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an organizer and negotiator of extraordinary ability \u00e2\u20ac\u201c winning campaigns others said could not be won. Quite rightly Sharon points out there is a library of policies highlighting inequalities women face at work and she has pledged to bring to the bargaining table demands for action.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTwenty years ago my union held a girl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lobby of the CBI. Our daughters demanded \u00e2\u20ac\u0098equal pay in our lifetime\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c my daughter was 8, Eleni is now 28.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe fact that in 2021 women effectively work the first 64 days of the year for free makes my blood boil \u00e2\u20ac\u201c so let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take inspiration from the women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suffrage movement – now is the time for \u00e2\u20ac\u0098deeds not words\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Public sector pay affects women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s be clear a public sector pay freeze and an offer to the NHS that falls far short of what they need and deserve – is picking the pockets of the majority female workforce who stood between us and despair when we needed them most \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a shameful affront, which says so much about Tory values.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bDuring the pandemic many have seen the disproportionate impact of lockdown on carers, mostly women. A brief look at our history shows this is not a new challenge.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThirty-four brothers founded the TUC in 1868 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 75 years later in 1943 the TUC elected their first woman President \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Anne Loughlin.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen Ann was 12 her mother died, she cared for her four sisters. She was 16 when her father died and became the family breadwinner \u00e2\u20ac\u201c working for 3 pence an hour in a Leeds clothing factory.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAged 21 she took up as an organizer for the tailor and garment workers union and the following year she led a strike of 6,000 clothing workers in Hebden Bridge. And she became her union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s general secretary in 1948.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnn Loughlin was one of only six women TUC President\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s up until 2000. The millennium has evened things out however when I am asked does having women in the leadership of unions make a difference \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I say damn right it does.<\/p>\n

Alongside the 13 unions now led by women we also celebrate the women who lead the TUC, Wales TUC, Scottish TUC, Irish Congress and International TUC.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bRemember sisters the words of the African American civil rights activist Angela Davis \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0098lift as you rise!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe TUC report that emerged from our disabled workers committee on sexual harassment showed disabled women face an appalling level of workplace abuse \u00e2\u20ac\u201c abuse that must be resisted and reversed alongside our movement calling out the increase in hate crime against our LGBT+ members.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Gig ecomony and a force for good<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cartmail went on to discuss the work of unions in the gig economy and how unions are a force for good.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe know collective solutions and actions safeguard the rights of individual workers and union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s are beginning to make inroads into the gig economy \u00e2\u20ac\u201c well done GMB in winning recognition and a fair deal for Uber drivers.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOver the year our movement has again proven we are a force for good.<\/p>\n

The TUC and all our affiliates worked to support our incredible vaccination programme – delivered not by the private sector, but our wonderful NHS. Vaccines developed by our brilliant scientists and academics, many of them Prospect and UCU members, and administered by our members in the NHS.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bCombined our unions represent the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s biggest, democratic mass movement \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we are a movement of, and for, working people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and it was union health and safety reps who knuckled down safeguarding workers at the height of the pandemic. They fought to ensure workers had the correct PPE; negotiated Covid-secure work practices; and exposed negligent employers.<\/p>\n

Reps: \u00e2\u20ac\u0098We owe them so much\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe owe them so much. And all our reps \u00e2\u20ac\u201c hundreds of thousands of workers doing extraordinary things \u00e2\u20ac\u201c representing their colleagues, winning decent pay and conditions<\/p>\n

fighting for equality, and helping workers access life-changing learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur reps efforts mean unionised workers earn more, are paid more equally, have more access to training, are more likely to have better pensions and holidays, and are safer at work.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs the world changes, so must trades unionism \u00e2\u20ac\u201c so we look, sound and feel more like the workers we aspire to represent.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur challenge is to rebuild our values of equality, solidarity and collectivism \u00e2\u20ac\u201c at the same time as making sure we remain relevant in the world of Netflix, What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s App and Spotify. In an age when decisions, choices and communications happen in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bRather than being trapped by nineteenth century bureaucracy, we must liberate the potential of twenty-first century technology \u00e2\u20ac\u201c exploring new gateways into trades unionism, new models of membership, and new ways to organise and bargain.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is especially relevant to our young members and the mass of young workers not yet signed up.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI want to acknowledge the important work of the TUC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Anti Racism Task Force led by Patrick Roache. The case for radical change is overwhelming. And Patrick will report on the glaring need for action across society and within our movement during Congress.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098International movement\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She reminded Congress, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe are an international movement \u00e2\u20ac\u201c those of us supporting the struggle against apartheid remember and repeat the South African workers slogan \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u015ban injury to one is an injury to all\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe far right\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ruthless targeting of women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s abortion rights in Poland, Texas and elsewhere goes hand in hand with what the UN calls the \u00e2\u20ac\u015bshadow pandemic\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the upsurge in violence against women and girls.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTUC Aid helped fund the Building and Woodworkers International programme of training to tackle violence against women and girls \u00e2\u20ac\u201c training that reached thousands of workers across Latin America and the Caribbean. Solidarity in action.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have also seen far right authoritarian regimes using the Covid crisis to crack down further on worker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rights whether it is in Hungary, Brazil or India.  We must continue to build solidarity with our sisters and brothers facing brutal violence in Colombia \u00e2\u20ac\u201c over 100 social activists have been killed this year so far.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe stand with those facing arrest and repression in Turkey. As we stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Palestine \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we repeat our demands for an end to the injustice and an end to the brutal and illegal occupation.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bSaying these words take me back to meeting the Colombian trade union leader Carmen Mayusa in Bogota women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prison \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we campaigned and she was released \u00e2\u20ac\u201c then her brother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s butchered body was delivered to her family home.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd of the Palestinian children I met in refugee camps and villages in the West Bank and Gaza during the first Intifada \u00e2\u20ac\u201c whose artworks invariably depicted violence against their families and the destruction of their homes.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098We stand together\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen we speak of solidarity \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we must remember that each and every one of our fellow trade unionist in struggle is one of us \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and that solidarity is two way \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we stand together.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur fight for economic, social and racial justice and peace extends beyond national borders. Decent work for all must be at the heart of a new global economy. And our history tells us the best way to improve pay for all workers and to raise standards \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is through strong unions and collective bargaining.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe can look back proudly at historic victories such as the Chainmakers of Cradley Heath, the so called \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Matchgirls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 of London\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s East End and the Ford sewing machinists in Dagenham and their sisters in Halewood \u00e2\u20ac\u201c yet in so doing it is our collective responsibility to win for workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c here and now, tomorrow and in the decades ahead.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

She concluded by saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bSolidarity, have a good Congress and remember actions speak louder than words.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

WATCH<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Watch<\/a> Congress live \u00e2\u20ac\u201c tomorrow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s session starts at 10 am.<\/p>\n

Stayed tuned to UNITElive for more <\/em><\/strong>from this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s TUC Congress<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pic by Mark Thomas for illustrative purposes only<\/p>\n

By Amanda Campbell <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

@amanda_unite <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA \u00e2\u20ac\u0098union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an inanimate object \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a living and evolving force for change \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as someone once said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s power in the union\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great to be a part of it,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Cartmail said as she opened her address to the virtual audience.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1717],"tags":[379,1321,158,1718,209],"wps_subtitle":"Unite AGS Gail Cartmail is this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s TUC President. In her expansive and inspirational opening address she pays tribute to many including women activists old and new, our incredible key workers throughout Covid, and the vital role of union reps who make changes for good happen. She reaffirms that unions are without doubt a force for good","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29913"}],"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=29913"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29920,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29913\/revisions\/29920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}