Socialist Party delegates
Hundreds of women activists from across the country gathered in Edinburgh for public sector union Unison’s national women’s conference.
This was clearly seen as an opportunity to vent anger at the devastation that 14 years of Tory brutal austerity has meant for working-class women. It’s women who have so often had to pick up the pieces of failing public services to take care of those that fall through the cracks, the young, the sick and the elderly.
Over 80% of members identify as women so Unison should be the union at the forefront of fighting for equality and against the cost-of-living crisis.
A range of issues in the workplace were discussed, particularly sexual harassment, women’s safety and the menopause. It was agreed that reps had to fight for policies that would fundamentally change working conditions.
Inequality
We also discussed health and mental health inequality. Women’s health needs are often treated as less important, or defined in terms of how conditions present in the male population. This means, for example, far more women will die from heart attacks because their symptoms aren’t recognised.
Low pay came up again and again because it affects every aspect of our lives, access to quality housing, decent childcare, public transport and domestic violences services. The gender pay gap was put into context of the greater pay gap for Black women and LGBTQ+ women, and the extra burdens and discrimination they suffer.
We also put Trans rights firmly on the agenda as a trade union issue and, despite some protesters outside, passed motions unanimously. Importantly, we discussed the impact of the far-right on Black women in particular and how we can combat reactionary ideas.
Fighting spirit
The contributions from the floor demonstrated a real fighting spirit and some excellent young reps speaking. The supportive atmosphere was encouraging but there was not a single motion that delegates could disagree on. Motions described in detail what women workers should be fighting for, but none how this would be paid for.
In the discussion on domestic violence and housing, Socialist Party member Maggie Fricker, Southampton Health, raised the need for funding a mass council house-building programme and a campaign for the return of resources cut from local government, so that women aren’t forced to return to their abusers because they have nowhere else to go. She got an extra round of applause when she said: “If you behave like Tories we’ll treat you like Tories”.
Every criticism of Labour’s priorities was applauded from the floor, and the anger at continuing cuts to services was very evident. Even general secretary Christina McAnea, a Keir Starmer supporter, felt forced to criticise Labour in her speech.
At the Socialist Party fringe meeting, Ellie Waple, a steward in Surrey County branch, said: “Unison needs to become a fighting, militant union if it is to have any chance of standing up to Labour, who will seemingly back bosses first and working people second”.
Susie from Kirklees summed things up nicely by saying: “We need a new party to challenge the capitalists and be truly representative of the working class, rather than attack workers and not pander to the bosses”.
