Workers' Liberty

For the first time in its history, the annual conference of the National Union of Teachers debated a motion submitted by LGBT teachers from their own conference.

At yesterday's RMT Regional Council, our new women's newsletter had its first outing, with 500 copies distributed amongst delegates. Mostly, it was well-received, welcomed by both women and (most) men, who expect it to go down very well in the workplaces.

The Women and Work Commission was New Labour's attempt to address the embarrassment and injustice of the enduring gender pay gap. But its report was woeful, in great part blaming women and girls for going into low-paid jobs and men and boys for renouncing those jobs for better-paid work. Bastards.

I have just finished laying out the new women's newsletter for RMT's London Transport region, amusingly entitled 'Time Of The Month'. It was put together by our regional Women's Officer, Jackie Darby, and myself - with contributions from several other women members.

Guess what? Women with children aged under eleven are the most discriminated against at work. Yes, really.

The TUC has still not deemed to post on its website the resolutions passed at Women's Conference over a month ago. Instead, we get a decidedly unhelpful "no documents available".

Under new legislation, the Gender Equality Duty comes into force on 6th April (this Friday). It compels all public authorities to promote gender equality and eliminate sex discrimination. The theory goes that instead of depending on individuals making complaints about sex discrimination, the duty places the legal responsibility on public authorities to demonstrate that they treat men and women fairly.

A blow-by-blow blog of TUC Women's Conference, which met in Scarborough on 14-16 March, by RMT delegate Janine Booth.

• TUC Women's Conference: Day One

• TUC Women Discuss Abortion Rights
• Women Fight Back Against TUC Childcare Sell-Out
• John McDonnell, Sexual Harassment, Sweatshops, Women's Representation and more
• Does Anyone Know Where The March Is?
• Trident: Taking The TUC Tops To Task
• Lone Working, Single Parents, TUC Women's Committee election

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(Make sure you are logged in to see pictures. Picture on this item: CWU delegate Maria Exall seconding the RMT motion on Sweatshop Labour)

This morning, we were treated to an address by TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.

Thursday morning, down to the conference fresh and early, giving out John McDonnell's new women's manifesto and leaflets for the Labour Representation Committee fringe meeting at lunchtime. First business in conference was the NUT's resolution on Sexist Language, Sexist Bullying and Sexual Harassment. It was very ably seconded by RMT's Jackie Darby, who spelt out the range of sexist abuse that railway workers are subjected to in the course of duty. As Jackie rightly said, "The craven attitude of management to tackling sexual harassment is the single most serious obstacle to eliminating it from the workplace ... Our employers must be made to take sexual harassment seriously, as it seriously affects us in our working lives. It compromises us and oppresses us. We won't put up with it."

Into the second day for only the second time (RMT's women's conference was a one-day affair until year), the Executive reported on progress with last year's resolutions. One had been ruled out of order in a heavy-handed manner, others have been "progressed" or "linked to other files" or what have you. We need to make the Executive somewhat more responsive - but we also need to make our own resolutions include more specific mandates to help ensure that action is taken.

RMT's national women's conference took place on Friday and Saturday last week (2nd and 3rd March), in Doncaster. RMT members can watch the whole thing by webcast by logging on to the members' section. There were 25 delegates - that's about average, but less than there could potentially be due to the union notifying the conference via branch secretaries, many of whom do not make much effort to pass on the information to women. Overall, it was very good, and most delegates appeared to come away inspired.

"Sometimes, you feel like you're on trial for the entire female sex. If a bloke makes a mistake, it's 'Fred's having a bad day', but if I do, it's 'Women can't do the job'."

"I really enjoy my job, and I don't complain very often. But when I had just one little grumble, a male colleague told me that if women don't like it working on the railway, we can always leave."

TUC Women's Conference should be accessible to any woman trade unionist elected to respresent her union. But how can it be, when childcare is provided only during formal conference hours and only for pre-school kids?!

You have to be logged in to this website to look at this newsletter.

I've recently produced a women's newsletter for my union branch, RMT Stratford no.1. Some of the issues are specific to where we work, but I think there is enough of general interest to justify posting it here.

At Wednesday's RMT Women's Advisory Committee, we:

• discussed the RMT Women's Charter . It's a good initative - first suggested by yours truly! - but it needs to become a campaigning tool rather than just an attractive pamphlet. So the Women's Advisory Committee is keen that regions, branches and local reps use the charter to identify issues important to women members and demand action from management.
  
  

It's groundhog day on equalities representation, as Congress once again debates and rejects the dangerously revolutionary proposals that the TUC's Women's, LGBT, Black Workers' and Disabled Workers' Conferences should have the right to:

1. submit two resolutions to Congress rather than one as at present;

2. elect the women's etc seats on the General Council.

Actually, the proposal was not even to do these things, but to consider doing these things. But no - even that was too much for those union leaders determined to defend at all costs their control over the TUC's General Council and its Congress agenda.

By Jim Denham

Even in the midst of bitter industrial struggles, it is not uncommon to hear white trade unionists expressing racist views.

by Sally Lopez

Much criticism of last month’s Women and Work Commission’s report on the “gender pay and opportunities gap” has focused on its failure to recommend compulsory equal pay audits for employers.

Women truck drivers who use the port of Folkestone are celebrating a breakthrough this week in their world-wide “Right to Pee” campaign.

GMB Shout is the LGBT group set up by activists in the GMB. It meets in London and organises around GMB equalities events. There’s no formal recognition by the GMB.

Thoughts from women railway workers (collected from workmates and RMT women's conference) ...

By Nick Holden

One thousand five hundred women working at Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumbria Hospital have won a historic victory in their eight-year battle for equal pay with traditionally male jobs in the NHS.

Has everyone accepted now that women can work in the railway industry - and that we can drive trains, operate signals and maintain track just as well as men?

Good. So long as you don’t mind unsuitable uniforms, no access to the ladies’ for hours on end, the odd bit of sexual harassment, and being only one of a handful of women in your grade and/or workplace. Oh, and don’t go thinking you can have kids and carry on in the job - if the cost of childcare doesn’t get you, the shiftwork will.

Unison has claimed victory in a landmark sex discrimination case which could see hundreds of NHS staff in Cumbria win thousands of pounds of back pay. But the case may be far from over.

By a member of NUJ London freelance branch

At the start of the year, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) chapel at Express and Star newspapers (Daily and Sunday Express, and The Star) resisted the pressure of proprietor Richard Desmond to publish racist articles against asylum-seekers, particularly against the East European Roma people that the papers said would flood into Britain after the 1 May enlargement of the EU.

Trade unions are challenging the Government in court to give full employment rights for their lesbian, gay and bisexual members.

The case begins on 17 March at the High Court in the Strand, against the Government's inadequate implementation of the EU Sexual Orientation Employment regulations, which were brought in on 1 December last year.

By Karina Knight

Over 200 delegates attended the TUC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Conference at Congress House on 24th-25th July, the biggest so far in the short history of the section.

This month, Tubeworker assesses London Underground's policy for dealing with harassment at work, and looks at the commitment to equality from both the employer and the unions.

We also argue for more action over the safety crisis: a 'go-slow' is not enough, and should be added to by more imaginative action, followed by strikes.

Workplace reports include updates on two sacked train drivers, plus more examples of the chaos created by privatisation.

You can download it as a PDF here.

Stop the Witch-hunt against Asylum-Seekers

As Blair's Government steps up its persecution of people seeking sanctuary, Tubeworker puts a firm argument against prejudice and for workers' unity. Workplace stories include a cleaner suspended for refusing to work on safety grounds, and the farcical new banking system.

Download pdf.