policiesguide to equality in unison 20123

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A guide to equality
in UNISON
Updated January 2012
a guide to equality in UNISON
Contents
UNISON’s equalities agenda 4
UNISON equality scheme 9
Recruiting, organising, representing and retaining members 10
Negotiating and bargaining on behalf of members,
promoting equality and challenging discrimination 14
Campaigning and promoting UNISON on behalf of members 17
Developing an efficient and effective union 21
Getting involved 24
Cover photography: Roy Peters/David [email protected]
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Foreword
“Fairness and equality for all
– no ifs, no buts.”
That’s how one UNISON member sums up the importance of equality –
and those words represent everything our union stands for.
UNISON members come from all walks of life and all parts of the world.
Every one of them is entitled to be treated with fairness, dignity and
respect. We’re committed to making that happen, and our track record
of defending workers’ rights, organising vulnerable workers and tackling
prejudice, discrimination and exploitation speaks for itself.
This updated guide shows how we’re working to build equality into every-
thing we do. We’re committed to achieving our vision of a society based
on true public service values: equality, co-operation, and democracy.
With public services and public service workers under attack, equality is
more important than ever.
No ifs, no buts.
Dave Prentis
General secretary
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a guide to equality in UNISON
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UNISON’s equality agenda
UNISON is the UK’s leading trade • meeting people’s actual, as
union. Our 1.3 million members opposed to assumed, needs
work in hospitals, nurseries, • understanding that groups of
schools, care homes and libraries. people who face prejudice are
They are employed in leisure stronger through organising
centres, colleges, universities and together to fight discrimination
police stations. They work for • actively developing a skilled and
community organisations, local diverse workforce.
authorities, the NHS, key utility
companies and public agencies – Equality initiatives are co-ordinated
from the Environment Agency to the nationally by the membership
Food Standards Agency. Some you participation unit based at the
see every day, others are less well UNISON centre in London,
known. All make a real difference to working closely with UNISON’s
the quality of people’s lives. national executive council and
equality committees. Every region
Our members’ first port of call for has equality leads and most
advice and support and to get local branches have equality co-
involved is our network of local ordinators.
branches. We have a national centre
in London, offices in our 12 regions
Equality for everyone
and UNISONdirect on the end of a
phone. at work, in UNISON
and in society
Nationally, regionally and locally,
equality is at the heart of UNISON.
It’s a key element of our work from UNISON’s goal is fair and equal
our local support to individual access to employment and training.
members to our international People have a right to be treated
campaigns. with dignity and respect at work,
to do their job to the best of their
For us, equality means: ability, free from discrimination and
• recognising that no two people harassment.
are the same, and appreciating
that everyone has an equal right Our members work for the public
to be treated with dignity and good, tackling disadvantage,
respect extending opportunity and
• celebrating our multicultural and supporting communities. As well
diverse society as standing for decent pay and
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conditions, we campaign for Equality for disabled
world class public services, readily
people at work, in
available to everyone who relies on
them and delivered in a way that
UNISON and in society
meets people’s real needs.
Disabled people make up 20% of
We lobby for strong and effective
people of working age but only half
equality legislation. We uphold the
of working age disabled people are
rights of workers everywhere and
actually in work. As well as barriers
play a leading role in the worldwide
to employment, they are paid less
trade union movement.
than non disabled people and can
be unfairly targeted in redundancy
programmes.
Equality in defence of
public services UNISON has lobbied hard for
equality legislation that protects
disabled workers from harassment
UNISON is leading the campaign to and discrimination and that requires
defend our public services and help employers to make reasonable
create a fairer society. The coalition adjustments to remove barriers for
government is using the costs of disabled workers. We use the law to
the banking crisis as an excuse back up our bargaining for disabled
for cuts and privatisations that are workers rights.
harming communities and making
our economic problems worse. Government cuts to benefits and
services will lead to more disabled
Our million voices campaign gets people living in poverty and social
the message across that there is a exclusion. Our ‘Cuts hurt me’
better alternative. Equality is at the campaign highlights their effect
heart of our million voices campaign and feeds into our million voices
and those who already have least campaign.
are bearing the brunt of the cuts in
jobs and services. The postcode lottery for some
treatments is a scandal. We lobby
We oppose the privatisation of government on disabled people’s
public services in principle. But health issues, including efficient and
where privatisation is going ahead, speedy access to health services.
we negotiate the best protection for
our members. We’ve long campaigned for
accessible and affordable public
transport for disabled people –
essential for many disabled workers.
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a guide to equality in UNISON
Equality for women at
UNISON is committed to ensuring
work, in UNISON and
that women are fairly represented
at all levels in the union’s structures,
in society
and in supporting women to achieve
fairer representation at senior level
More than two-thirds of UNISON’s
in the workplace and in society
members are women and we are
– including as political decision
acutely aware of the disadvantage
makers.
still facing women workers. Women
earn a lot less than men, find
Violence against women, be it
it harder to win promotion and
domestic abuse, rape, prostitution
many face sex discrimination and
or trafficking is completely
harassment at work.
unacceptable. UNISON campaigns
for changes to the law to bring
Many women have caring
about the end of violence against
responsibilities and almost half work
women.
part-time. UNISON negotiates and
campaigns on women’s rights at
work and in society. We lobby for
Equality for LGBT
flexible working and for improved
maternity, carers and parental rights. people at work, in
These are essential if women are
UNISON and in society
to achieve equality at work and at
home.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and
We negotiate agreements with transgender (LGBT) people face
employers, in many cases winning prejudice in the UK and persecution
more than the legal minimum. We in many parts of the world. UNISON
demand good quality, affordable demands that LGBT equality is
childcare delivered by properly recognised as a human right and
trained and fairly paid childcare as a workplace issue. We take this
workers and public services to message to employers, to LGBT
support those caring for adult people themselves and to our sister
dependants. unions at home and abroad.
Career development opportunities Too often, LGBT harassment and
to help women with limited skills discrimination go unrecognised
improve job and pension prospects and unchallenged, so we provide
are vital. Pension schemes must training for workplace reps, support
take into account the fact that many individual members and organise
women take career breaks and/or LGBT activists locally and nationally.
work part-time. We negotiate agreements to
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give LGBT workers dignity and Equality for Black
respect and call for LGBT issues
people at work, in
to be built into equality policies,
impact assessments and equality
UNISON and in society
objectives.
Challenging racism in the workplace
We understand when sexual
is vital to UNISON’s work. Racist
orientation issues and trans issues
discrimination prevents Black
need to be addressed separately
communities from having equal out
but when we organise we know h
S
access to good quality jobs and
that LGBT members are stronger
pay. Black workers are more
together. We make sure that our
likely than white colleagues to be
own organisation meets LGBT
disciplined at work, to experience
members’ needs, and we’ve
harassment and to work in junior or
worked for stronger laws.
temporary positions.
We’ve long campaign for public
UNISON defends the employment
services that meet LGBT people’s
rights of Black staff, and works to
needs, from schools free of
dismantle barriers to progression
homophobia, biphobia and
and promotion for Black employees.
transphobia to health and social

care services that treat LGBT users
Without an effective workplace
with respect. We know that services
response to deeply rooted
dedicated to LGBT people such as
patterns of discrimination, many
LGBT helplines and youth groups or
of our members, their families and
NHS gender reassignment services,
communities are left vulnerable
are a lifeline for those who use
to blighted life chances and
them. But they don’t win popularity
opportunities.
contests and are amongst the first
to be cut. Equality for LGBT people
UNISON campaigns for a fairer
is part and parcel of our million
society that values all its members
voices campaign to defend public
equally – a society where social
services.
justice, good jobs and quality public
services come first, not racism, hate
and fear. UNISON challenges racist
and fascist parties like the BNP both
at the ballot box and in the wider
community.
UNISON is committed to increasing
the representation and participation
of Black people within the union.
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a guide to equality in UNISON
It is also committed to improving Sixteen year olds can pay taxes,
Black people’s participation in sign up for military service and get
shaping public services and their married, yet they’re not trusted with
representation at all levels of the a vote. UNISON is working with the
political system in the UK. Votes@16 campaign to reduce the
voting age by two years.
Equality for young
Equality for older
people at work, in
people at work, in
UNISON and in society
UNISON and in society
UNISON believes that all young
UNISON’s aim is decent pay and
people need the best support we
conditions in every workplace, and
can offer. We believe they have a
good provision for people when
right to decent, safe, properly-paid
their working days are over. We
jobs, with the education and training
campaign for an end to pensioner
they need to perform them.
poverty and for easily accessible
high-quality health care for older
UNISON led the successful
people. We fight age discrimination,
campaign for the national minimum
using the full force of the law when
wage and then for provisions to
we need to.
be extended to cover 16 and 17
year olds and apprentices, albeit
on a lower rate. We continue
Equality for all
to campaign for an end to age
differentials and to increase the rate
Each of us is an individual and
to a living wage.
we belong to many groups. Our
background and complex identities
We’ve campaigned against
shape our experiences and
the cuts to education
needs. In our work on equality, we
maintenance allowance
sometimes have a single focus – for
and the careers service and
example on young workers or on
raised our concerns about
racism in the workplace. But we
the increase in student
also work across equality groups,
debt.
for example on initiatives for Black
LGBT members and for disabled
Young members are central
women.
nsell to our campaign to protect
Ma our pensions.
d
Davi
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UNISON equality
scheme
Equality is at the very heart of The scheme features an action
UNISON. We aim to embed equality plan for every national department
in everything we do systematically and UNISON region. The plans
and consistently. Our tailor-made focus on specific targets so we can
equality scheme gives us the tools measure progress. We celebrate our
to do this. Our first scheme ran from equality achievements and share
2008 to 2011; our second scheme our successes and best practice
runs from 2012-2015. between branches, regions and the
national centre.
It is a plan of action for the whole
of UNISON, covering the way Its framework is UNISON’s four key
we organise, our democratic objectives.
processes, negotiating and
bargaining, representing members,
policy development, decision-
making, services to members and
the union’s own workforce.
It covers age, disability,
gender, gender identity/gender
reassignment, race, religion/belief
and sexual orientation, as well as
low pay. We highlight low pay as
an issue that affects many of our
members and is central to our
work as a trade union. These are
the heart of the scheme. Particular
pieces of work also address other
groups facing discrimination, such
as migrant workers. The action plan
for UNISON Northern Ireland covers
the nine equality strands of Northern
Ireland’s legislation.
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a guide to equality in UNISON
Recruiting, organising,
representing and retaining
members
The more members UNISON Times 100, a network of influential
has, the greater our influence on organisations and companies
employers and our capacity to win that feeds workplace issues
the best deals. into secondary schools through
imaginative lesson plans. We link up
We take targeted action to recruit with the National Union of Students
a diverse membership that reflects to encourage their activists to
the communities in which people become active in the wider trade
live and work. We encourage union movement.
and develop members from
all equality groups to become
Organising low paid
UNISON workplace representatives,
supporting their members in women
local negotiations and individual
casework.
UNISON organises and negotiates
on behalf of low paid workers,
A diverse, enthusiastic and active
who are primarily women. We
membership makes UNISON tick.
campaigned to protect school staff
such as teaching assistants, school
Starting young meals workers and caretakers
from the public sector pay freeze.
UNISON’s Defend your schools
UNISON has developed innovative
campaign opposes the creation of
approaches to recruitment. We
academies and community schools
prepare people to join a union
where terms and conditions are not
and become activists before they
subject to national protection and
even start work. We were key
are therefore significantly worse than
supporters of the TUC’s Unions
in traditional state schools.
Into Schools initiative which brings
a curriculum-relevant positive trade
union message to school students.
We are the only trade union in the
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