Women / Black and ethnic conference

RMT news – Equality Connecting with women members THE very first regional RMT women’s advisory committee kicked off in Bristol recently. The union congratulates sister Glen Burrows for all the hard work she put in to get the committee up and running. This will provide a valuable forum for women members to discuss the issues affecting them. This is your union and we need to ensure your voice is heard – what better way than by meeting with others to share your experiences and common problems? Participation is paramount. The more women join in, the more the union can properly voice concerns and campaign on what matters to women members. That’s why the setting up of regional and branch advisory committees is so important and it should matter to you! Ring round The union is in the process of telephoning all women members to encourage them to become active. This is a very big exercise – one that no other Union as far as we know has tried. A pilot exercise, where RMT has tried to telephone all women members covered by the London Regional Transport Council area is almost complete. The reception to the calls has been very positive so far. Once the pilot has been evaluated, RMT will endeavour to phone women in the rest of the country during the spring and early summer. RMT Women’s Charter Asking women to become ‘active’ is meaningless without something to become active about. When issues arise Black and ethnic conference 14 CONFERENCES always provide an excellent opportunity for members to talk to others from different companies and areas of the country to exchange experiences and views. This year’s Black and Ethnic members’ conference was no exception. There were a number of delegates who had not participated before and welcomed the chance to mix with other members. For those who have never attended conference before, the thought of speaking in front of others can be daunting. However, delegates are amongst friends and the atmosphere is one where everyone is encouraged to put their views across. It was not long before everyone had spoken on one subject or another. Roger McKenzie (left), the newly appointed TUC regional secretary in the Midlands, gave the keynote speech. Like so many who have spoken at our conferences, he too had a family connection with the union. His father had been a permanent way worker in Walsall back in the 1950s. Roger’s main memory of his father was only really seeing him on Sundays. The work was hard physical labour and long hours. Have things changed that much? The theme of the conference was putting equality back on the agenda. Roger pointed out that this presupposed that it was on the agenda in the first place. His past job as TUC race equality officer had taught him much about what was going on, or more to the point, what was not going on, ie tackling racism. Roger spoke of how racism had reached epidemic proportions, where in some areas it was not safe to walk down the street. Certain jobs are simply not applied for by ethnic minorities as they know they will be rejected. There was an urgent need to remind people of this and that included employers and unions alike. Roger’s main message to delegates was ‘organise, organise, organise’. G A full report on the conference will appear in the next edition of RMT News. Unfortunately, before the conference could finish, the hotel was evacuated because of a fire. Arrangements have now been made to reconvene the conference in London on May 10. Edwards Duthie Solicitors has a special affinity with trade unions, their members and officials. We have advised union members and their families for some 22 years, to the point where we now serve some 40,000 members across 230 branches nationwide. We have a dedicated team which serves RMT members, their families and friends. 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RING NOW FOR ADVICE & ASSISTANCE ON 0208 514 9000 email: allinfo@edwardsduthie.com In partnership with the RMT news – Equality that directly impact upon you or general issues that you feel strongly about, RMT wants to do something. The delegates who attended last October’s special women’s recall conference were clear that there were issues that would stimulate women into activity. They compiled what has now become RMT’s Women’s Charter. This is now union policy. RMT’S WOMEN’S CHARTER G Equal terms and conditions G End lone working to end assaults G Access to sanitary and toilet facilities G Flexible/part-time working G Meaningful consultation on uniform decisions G Menopause support and menstrual problems G Low wages G Work of equal value G Regional women reps G Local advisory committees G Better maternity pay and leave G Better H and S in regard to pregnancy G Safe/secure transport for those doing late/early shifts G Better childcare facilities G Counselling tailored to womens’ needs However, policies have to be implemented or they become empty slogans and members feel let down. This is where members come in. We need to turn the Charter into fully fledged policies so that when the union approaches companies RMT has coherent strategies that tackle the problems you have identified. That’s why RMT want regional and branch advisory committees so that members can have a say in developing policies, and the union knows what sort of child care facilities you want at work. 15 Slug women pic SISTERS: Male members gave support to the first regional women’s advisory meeting, where the message was that the union was all about you!