ORGANISING WOMEN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2011 :: RMTnews 22 RMT women in the north east of England are getting organised to battle sexism at work, and to take on employers' attacks on women workers. I visited Newcastle to spend an afternoon with a small group of women members and the union's Organising Unit, discussing various issues facing women workers and what the union should do about it. The group discussed the RMT Women's Charter and identified key issues for women workers (see below). For Maria Carter, who works as a guard on East Coast, an important issue is women's safety when travelling to and from work. She told us how she, and women friends and family members who work in similar jobs, feel vulnerable to verbal abuse and even assault when employers leave them to make their own way to or from work in the small hours. Rona Turnbull, who works at Scarborough station, agreed. "Our shifts were changed, and I now finish work after the last train leaves, after locking up the station alone. But management seem to expect me either to wait for ages for a bus, or perhaps to walk the six miles home,” she said. Employers should provide safe transport, preferably a door-to-door staff taxi service, for extreme early starts and late finishes. RMT women will be asking reps and officers to table this for discussion at negotiating meetings, and will be asking for support from male and female workmates - as safe transport provision will benefit men as well as women. Carol Watson, a Network Rail signaller at Prudhoe, spoke of how management applied different standards to her than to male workmates. She had been told to address them formally, while men were on first-name terms. She also found that her knowledge of railway rules was undermined - she knew she was implementing the rules properly, but managers doubted her in a way that they did not usually doubt men. Sharon Skillen, who works in the ticket office at Newcastle Central station, believes that workmates with children - mostly women, but also some men - need more support and consideration from companies, particularly when it comes to working hours. Sharon, who is RMT's women's steward for the North East region, hopes that managers who themselves have young children might be prepared to be accommodating, but acknowledges that progress is only likely with strong union organisation and pressure. Forty years after the Equal Pay Act women are still paid around two-thirds of men's wages. While women are paid the same as men for doing the same job, women tend to be concentrated in jobs that are badly paid, either because they are temporary, part-time or casual; or because they meet the stereotype of 'women's work', modelled on the domestic tasks that (mainly) women carry out at home without any pay - such as childcare, cleaning or nursing. RMT's women's advisory committee has asked the union to carry out a study of male and female pay rates in the industries in which the union organises. Women at the meeting strongly supported the policy that pay deals should include a flat-rate minimum rise to benefit lower-paid grades: if a pay rise is just a percentage, then grades who are already better-paid get a bigger rise, and the 'pay gap' does not close. We looked at some preliminary results of RMT's Sexism at Work survey. Nearly three-quarters of respondents have said that there is a sexist culture at their workplace, giving plenty of examples of unacceptable comments and actions that they had experienced. These were the sort of comments that really should shock us in the 21st century (no, a woman's place is not in the kitchen; and yes, women can do transport jobs just as well as men can!), but I am sad to say that every woman at the event said that similar attitudes existed where they worked. All the women who attended plan to get more involved in RMT as a result of the day's discussions. All will be attending the union's Women's Conference in March next year (contact your RMT branch if you would also like to go), and the North East region's vacant seats on the women's advisory committee will soon be filled! One of the topics at the RMT National Womenís Conference to be held in Weymouth on March 9/10 2012 is whether the RMT Charter for Women should be updated. If you want your say in this and all the other issues concerning women members, contact your Branch Secretary to see about being nominated by your Branch or contact the Equal Opportunities Officer at j.webb@rmt.org.uk. ORGANISING WOMEN Janine Booth reports RMT'S WOMEN'S CHARTER • Equality at work - equal pay, equal terms and conditions • An end to low pay • Increased staffing levels - no lone working • Safe transport to and from work • An end to sexual harassment • Access to adequate sanitary and toilet facilities • Comfortable and appropriate uniform • Provision for women’s health needs, including menopause and menstrual problems • Health, safety and support during pregnancy • Better maternity, paternity, parental and carers’ pay and leave • The right to flexible, part-time and family- friendly working hours • Childcare facilities