Why did you become a steward? What made you take this step? I became a steward out of frustration! I walked into a UNISON meeting in our workplace (arranged by a local organiser), I was a little late following a disagreement with my line manager; the organiser turned to me as I walked through the door and […]
Jo is a young member from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Justice branch. She is a member of the South East Young Members’ Forum and also sits on National Young Members’ Forum.
Let’s make a difference! Make everyday International Women’s Day and do your bit to ensure that the future for girls around the world is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.
Women born in the 1950s who lost out on their state pension when the government made retirement age 65 for both men and women are lobbying MPs later today (Wednesday). The changes introduced in 1995 have affected approximately 2.6m women now in their late 50s and early to mid 60s, who’ve had barely any notice […]
This month we’re celebrating all things women, and what better way that to shine a light on some of our key women activists in the region? Our activists do thousands of different roles- from representing members in hearings, campaigning for equality in the workplace to leading local recruitment activities. So, if you are a UNISON member and want to […]
The Abortion Act became law 50 years ago this week on 27 October 1967
New research from the Fawcett Society has found that one year on from the outpouring of #MeToo stories, there has been a significant shift in attitudes to sexual harassment. According to the research released on 2 October by the Fawcett Society, the majority of people (53%) say that since #MeToo what is seen as acceptable […]
UNISON is a union of women, over 1 million of them working across the public and private sectors delivering quality public services. Our women members are in all professions, catering assistants, nurses, midday supervisors, librarians, cleaners, social workers and cooks amongst a wide variety of jobs. A large proportion of our women members are low […]
With the UK having just started its first full year under a Boris Johnson government, one of the dominant themes at conference was continuing austerity – because, aside from the announcement of a rise in the national minimum wage to come in the spring, election campaign promises to end austerity have yet to be realized. […]
International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past and present and this year will be particularly important as it marks 100 years since the day was honoured for the first time. For more info: www.internationalwomensday.com Women’s history has been long overlooked. During the month […]
New UNISON report shows the pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on women
Women make great Health and Safety Reps! There has been an increased interest in Health & Safety, and UNISON South East have recruited and are training 70 new Health & Safety Reps to work with employers and their local branch to make work safer for all our members. Reps in most workplaces will receive full […]
Raising my voice against FGM By Sandra Charles, Regional Women’s Committee member The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines female genital mutilation as: “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The age at which girls undergo FGM/C varies enormously according […]
New domestic abuse protection orders will help to prevent abusive partners coming to victims’ workplaces As the Domestic Abuse Bill moves through Parliament to become law, UNISON has won a key amendment to ensure that domestic abuse protection orders (DAPOs) will apply to the workplace. The new protection orders are set to replace domestic violence […]
UNISON’s Empowering Women – Live! online event begins with speeches from general secretary Christina McAnea and deputy leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner As a result of COVID-19, many conferences and meetings have had to be cancelled. With this in mind, the national women’s committee has organised a series of online events in place […]
