#stuc13 17 April 2013
UNISON's Equalities Officer Eileen Dinning, highlighted the pressures on women in the workforce in her
speech to STUC Congress today.
Eileen, in her role as chair of the STUC Women's Committee, said: "Women are struggling under the Coalition Government’s austerity programme.
"According to the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study zero hours contracts are on the increase. Thousands more workers are now in jobs without any guarantee of regular hours or regular wages. More than half of these are women.
"Tackling child poverty means tackling women’s poverty. The STUC Women’s Committee will continue to argue for secure well paid employment for all.
"Women are present in increasing numbers in our conferences and in the trade union movement. We will speak up for them, and give them hope for the future.”
Her full speech is below.
CONFERENCE, THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU ON BEHALF OF THE STUC WOMEN’S COMMITTEE.
I AM NOT SURE HOW MUCH HAS BEEN SAID TODAY ABOUT THATCHER.
BUT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DROSS SPOKEN LAST WEEK ABOUT HER.
THE NOTION SHE WAS A ROLE MODEL FOR WOMEN WAS DELUSIONAL.
SUCH A SUGGESTION IS DELUSIONAL.
SHE CREATED NO POSITIVE CHANGE FOR WOMEN.
SHE HAD THE ACCIDENT OF BEING BORN FEMALE – NOTHING MORE.
AS BEA CAMPBELL STATED.... "SHE HAS NOT FEMINISED POLITICS BUT HAS OFFERED FEMININE ENDORSEMENT FOR PATRIARCHAL POWER."
AND THOSE PATRIARCHS ARE CARRYING ON HER WORK WITH OBSCENE ENTHUSIASM.
IF SHE DID ANYTHING POSITIVE IT’S TO BE A CONSTANT REMINDER OF HOW IMPORTANT THE TU MOVEMENT IS TO WOMEN.
SCOTTISH TUC REPRESENTS OVER 300,000 TRADE UNION WOMEN IN SCOTLAND.
INCREASINGLY, WOMEN ARE THE MAJORITY IN MANY OF OUR AFFILIATES. IN SOME CASES 60 – 70%.
MAJORITY ARE LOW PAID.
MANY ARE STRUGGLING UNDER THIS GOVERNENT’S AUSTERITY PROGRAMME.
OR LET’S CALL IT WHAT IT REALLY IS – A DIRECT ATTACK ON THE POOR, A PROTECTION RACKET FOR THE RICH AND OUTRIGHT CONTEMPT FOR WORKING PEOPLE.
AND IF THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT WANT TO HELP MITIGATE THE WORST ASPECTS OF THE BEDROOM TAX, THEN MAKE THE CHANGES TO LEGISLATION THAT WILL PREVENT UNNECESSARY EVICTIONS THAT WILL DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT ON WOMEN, CHILDREN AND THE DISABLED.
WITH THAT BEING THE BACKGROUND THE WOMEN’S COMMITTEE WORK PLAN FOR 2013 NEEDED TO REFLECT THESE CHALLENGES.
THE THEMES WITHIN WHICH THE COMMITTEE IS WORKING ARE:
- ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT
- INCREASING WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION AND PARTICIPATION
- EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING
- SOCIAL JUSTICE
- HEALTH
- COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN
- INTERNATIONAL ISSUES.
OUR PRIORITIES FOCUS ON:
THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT THE OTHER ISSUES ARE ANY LESS IMPORTANT BUT WE NEED TO BE CLEAR THAT WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT IS CRUCIAL AND THAT WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION CAN PLAY A BIG PART IN MAKING THAT A REALITY.
LAST YEAR, AND WORKING WITH THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT, WE PARTICIPATED IN A SUCCESSFUL WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT SUMMIT.
SOME OF THE PRIORITIES TO BE PROGRESSED TOGETHER FOLLOWING THE SUMMIT ARE:
- STATE FUNDED CHILDCARE PROVISION, INCLUDING INVESTING IN THE WORKFORCE IN THE SECTOR;
- CHALLENGING THE INCREASED CASUALISATION OF THE LABOUR MARKET;
- EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN OVER 50 IN THE LABOUR MARKET;
- AND PROMOTING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ALL SECTORS.
ACCORDING TO 2011 WORKPLACE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS STUDY, ZERO HOURS CONTRACT ARE ON THE RISE AND THIS FOLLOWS A SURGE IN THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC SECTOR SERVICES CONTRACTED OUT TO PRIVATE PROVIDERS.
FIGURES BY THE ONS FOUND THAT THE NUMBER OF WORKER IN JOBS WITHOUT ANY GUARANTEE OF REGULAR HOURS OR PAY REACHED 200,000 IN THE FINAL QUATER OF 2012 – 40,000 MORE THAN THE SAME QUARTER IN 2011.
A BREAKDOWN SHOWS 52% ARE WOMEN AND 48% ARE MEN.
THAT IS WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ENSURES THAT THE PROCUREMENT REFORM BILL SHOULD BE USED TO PROMOTE :-
- LABOUR RIGHTS AND WORKFORCE PROTECTIONS
- A POSITIVE EMPLOYMENT AGENDA
- THE SCOTTISH LIVING WAGE - BOTH FOR DIRECTLY EMPLOYED STAFF AND FOR
EMPLOYEES WORKING FOR CONTRACTORS
IN RESPECT OF INCREASING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC LIFE, WE ARE PUTTING THE 50/50 CAMPAIGN BACK ON THE AGENDA THROUGH BUILDING LINKS WITH PARLIAMENTARIANS, WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS, AND SCOTTISH CIVIC SOCIETY, IN PARTICULAR CAMPAIGNING FOR INCLUSION OF COMMITMENTS ON WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION DURING THE DEBATE ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE.
OUR OTHER PRIORITIES – WHICH ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT AND PUBLIC LIFE – WE ARE PURSUING THE GOAL OF FREE SCHOOL MEALS; WORKING TO ENSURE THAT WOMEN IN RURAL AREAS FEEL SUPPORTED AND CONTINUING TO GIVE PRIORITY TO THE CAMPAIGN OF COMBATTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.
LAST MONTH WE ATTENDED THE SCOTTISH WOMEN’S CONVENTION’S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY EVENT IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT.
THE THEME WAS WOMEN OF INFLUENCE.
WE LISTENED TO WOMEN POLITICIANS FROM MOST POLITICAL PARTIES HIGHLIGHTING THE VERY ISSUES WE SPEAK ABOUT EVERY YEAR.
- CHILDCARE,
- LIVING WAGE,
- FLEXIBLE WORKING,
- EQUAL PAY.
WE MADE THE POINT THAT YOU CANNOT INFLUENCE IF YOU DON’T HAVE FINANCIAL CLOUT.
WE TOLD THEM – YOU WANT EQUAL PAY ?
TELL PUBLIC AUTHORITIES TO STOP FIGHTING CLAIMS AND TRYING TO DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE.
WE ALSO TOLD THEM – IF YOU DON’T DEAL WITH WOMEN’S POVERTY – YOU WON’T DEAL WITH CHILD POVERTY.
CONGRESS, WE ARE WITNESSING AN INCREASINGLY FEMALE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT.
WE NEED TO RESPOND TO THAT AND GIVE WOMEN HOPE AND RAISE THEIR EXPECTATIONS.
THAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WHOLE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT.
TWO YEARS AGO THE STUC WOMEN’S COMMITTEE MEMBERS, PAST AND PRESENT, EMBARKED ON A PROJECT TO CELEBRATE AND HIGHLIGHT THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMEN IN THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT.
THAT ACTIVITY AND THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY THESE WOMEN HAS LED TO CHANGES IN THE WAY SCOTLAND IS GOVERNED.
IT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE A GLOSSY PUBLICATION THAT WOULD GATHER DUST.
RATHER, IT WILL BE A CAMPAIGNING AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE THAT WILL HOPEFULLY INSPIRE OTHER WOMEN TO RECORD THEIR OWN CONTRIBUTION.
I WANT TO THANK THE WOMEN WHO GAVE UP SO MUCH OF THEIR TIME TO MAKE THIS BOOK A REALITY.
SO I HOPE YOU’LL MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY OF OUR BOOK ‘INSPIRING WOMEN’ BEFORE CONFERENCE FINISHES TOMORROW.
FINALLY, AS CHAIR OF THE WOMEN’S COMMITTEE, I WANT TO THANK ANN HENDERSON, OUR SECRETARY, AND THE STAFF AT THE STUC, WHO GO MORE THAN THE EXTRA MILE FOR US, AS WELL THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND ADVICE.
CONFERENCE, I HOPE THE REMAINDER OF YOUR SESSIONS ARE SUCCESSFUL AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
THANK YOU.
.
