Women’s conference

RMT news – Women’s conference W OMEN IN transport still have a long way to travel to equality, dele- gates at the RMT women’s conference in Poole agreed. Equal pay, childcare and flexible working – even basics like toilet facilities – remain key industrial issues. Women’s participation and representation in the union itself also remain important issues. Delegates welcomed the creation of the first regional women’s advisory committee, in south Wales and the southwest, and called for the initiative to be followed in every RMT region. The packed agenda and growing attendance also prompted an emergency call for the conference to become a two-day event. Agreements on flexible working and childcare should be negotiated with employers in the absence of meaningful legislation, delegates agreed. Conference endorsed a call for the Council of Executives to prepare a model policy and initiate a national campaign, and referred the issue to the AGM. “It is absurd to expect that a legal right to ask for flexible working will change things,” said Glenn Burrows, Bristol Rail. She pointed out that even that right existed only for parents of children under six or of disabled children under 18. What was needed was the legal obligation for the employer to grant it. Few local nurseries could cater for parents working in transport industries, noted Glenn: “Try to find a nursery that opens before 6am,” she said. The same was true of shipping, noted conference chair Pauline Howe, Dover Shipping, who had seen 80 women faced with no choice but to leave their jobs when the employer had decided he could no longer provide flexible working. Toilets no laughing matter A call for a campaign to demand adequate women’s toilets – the most basic of working conditions – was endorsed unanimously and referred to the RMT annual general meeting. “This is a serious issue in every industry where there is a growing number of women workers,” said Susan Marshall, East Midlands Central. “It is simply not good enough to have to queue up to use the public lavatories, to ask for the key for the disabled WC, or to make do with just one cubicle for a large and growing female workforce.” No more probation The union should campaign for the abolition of probation for new employees, delegates agreed. Employers used probation as a device to deny workers their rights, and probationers were routinely bullied, intimidated and sacked without justice. With more women now joining the transport industries than before a disproportionate number of probationers were women. “Employers are helped by the law that prevents workers claiming unfair dismissal until they have been employed for a year,” said Janine Booth, Finsbury Park. It was also used a device to undermine the union, with managers routinely telling probationers that it was illegal for them to strike or even to join the union. Staff should be released from duty to do work associated with applying for or training for promotion to avoid discrimi- nation against those – predomi- nantly women – with caring responsibilities, delegates agreed. Some employers required staff applying and training for promotional positions to do preparatory and study work in their own time. That was unfair to all, but was discriminatory against those with A woman’s place is on her union’s executive Women’s equality remains a key industrial issue, as well as one for the union itself, according to the biggest RMT women’s conference for years PROGRESS FOR women in the fire service has been achieved thanks to a long, hard and continuing struggle, Fire Brigades Union president Ruth Winter told delegates. Change within the union had first been driven by women members organising themselves to resist discrimination and harassment. The issue was taken up seriously for the first time by former general secretary Ken Cameron and president Ronnie Scott, and by Ken’s successor, Andy Gilchrist. FBU structures, although still not perfect, were now more progressive than most, said Ruth, though less than five per cent of the union’s 55,000 members were women “If our structures were already women-friendly then women would already have been in senior positions. “I was elected as the custodian of the rule-book, but sometimes you need to change the rules – and the changes won by women always benefit men too,” she said. A long, hard road for women in the fire service AN END to sweatshop labour in Britain and around the world was the aim of guest speaker Kerry Sturman of campaigning group No Sweat. Providing a disturbing snapshot of long hours in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, super- exploitation and harassment of workers and violence and intimidation against union organisers, she urged delegates to get involved in the campaign for fair wages and decent conditions. Kerry’s speech prompted suggestions that members should ensure that their own uniforms were not made by sweatshop labour – and to refuse to accept them if they were. End sweatshop labour 12 RMT news – Women’s conference caring responsibilities, said professional trainer Linda Wiles, Finsbury Park. “The easiest solution is to allow applicants and on-the-job trainees to do the associated work on business time,” Linda said. Resist attacks on right to choose The union should actively oppose attempts to undermine abortion rights, delegates agreed. The trade union movement had always taken a firm stand in support of women’s right to choose abortion, as it was largely working-class women who had been forced into dangerous back-street abortions when the right was denied, said Janine Booth, Finsbury Park. The best way to reduce late abortions was to make access to earlier abortions easier, not to reduce time limits, which would harm the most vulnerable women, she said. G Next year’s RMT women’s conference will be hosted by Gloucester branch, either in Gloucester or Cheltenham Spa. Pauline Howe, Dover Shipping was elected chair of the liaison committee and will preside over next year’s conference. Linda Wiles, Finsbury Park, was elected vice- chair, and Caroline Parry, Gloucester, Glenn Wallis, Bristol Rail were elected to serve on the conference liaison committee. RMT needs to reach every woman member EVERY WOMAN in RMT should be encouraged and have the opportunity to get involved in the union’s work at every level, said general secretary Bob Crow. “We need to reach every woman RMT member and find out exactly what stands in the way of participating in union life,” Bob said. The biggest single obstacle to the participation of women with young children was the lack of childcare facilities – a problem that had to be tackled. The solution was not to reserve seats and delegation places, but to remove the obstacles to involvement: “Our job is to unlock the door,” said Bob. Childcare was also a key workplace issue, said Bob, and he had written to 108 companies seeking a commitment to tackle the need for childcare provision, and that some had signalled their intention to introduce childcare vouchers. “That is a step in the right direction, but we need to ensure that they are of significant value to make a real difference,” said Bob. Two well-attended special conferences had been held to discuss how to improve female participation in the union. Delegates had called for an RMT women’s charter and this was now being developed, said Bob, “not as an exercise in producing a glossy pamphlet, but to promote the interests of women in the workplace and in the union.” The RMT executive had asked branches to indicate what they were doing to encourage women to participate in branch life and the creation of a regional women’s advisory committee in south Wales and the southwest should be repeated in every RMT region, said Bob. The executive had also agreed that RMT News would regularly carry material by and for women members, with the launch of the Women’s Charter to be given prominence. The union had submitted a call for a campaign to improve flexible-working rights to the British and Scottish TUC women’s conferences – the latter to be chaired this year by RMT member Janet Cassidy. SISTERS: Women make up an increasing percentage of transport workers Photo: Duncan Philips/reportdigital.co.uk 13