To mark International Women’s Day, here’s a joint message from UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional secretary Karen Loughlin, and regional convenor Wendy Nichols:
“International Women’s Day is a significant date in the UNISON calendar. The union has more than 1.3 million members across the country, and over 70% of them are women.
“They make vital contributions in their workplaces and within UNISON, and their work is often undervalued.
“Women in UNISON work in all manner of different roles, from care workers to cleaners, school workers to librarians. International Women’s Day is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the brilliant work they do.
“Proportionality and fair representation are enshrined in the UNISON rulebook. That’s saying that equality is front and centre of everything we negotiate. That’s telling women members that you have a say, you’re listened to, and your input feeds through to the decisions that are made.
“Women have a key role in the trade union movement, and UNISON recognises that.
“In Yorkshire and Humberside, we are committed to helping empower our women members. We offer a number of equality training courses to members, as well as specialist courses including ‘menopause awareness’, ‘women’s health’ and ‘building confidence in women’.
“We’re also launching our new Women’s Leadership Programme this year, which is designed to empower and support our women members by developing their leadership skills.
“It’s a further commitment from UNISON to support and celebrate our brilliant women members.”