TUC pledges support for women workers

Louise Nousratpour in Manchester
Tuesday September 14, 2010
The Morning Star

TUC Congress: GOVERNMENT attacks on women and their hard-won rights are "plain criminal" and will be resisted through joint union action, TUC delegates have vowed.

They claimed government departments were breaching equality laws by "conveniently forgetting" equality impact assessments (EIAs) when slashing budgets and jobs.

The tests are vital in ensuring new policies do not discriminate against women, black and ethnic minority, LGBT and disabled workers.

"Many higher education institutions are rife with inequality and unfair treatment," Alan Whittaker of teaching union UCU told conference.

"EIAs are a powerful collective tool for unions and the TUC needs to co-ordinate campaigns to protect and enforce them," he said.

Other speakers warned the cuts would disproportionately impact on women, who make up a majority of public-sector workers and users.

More than 70 per cent of the cuts will affect women, who are already paid up to 40 per cent less than their male counterparts.

Equality group the Fawcett Society is challenging the Con-Dem budget in the High Court following the Treasury's failure to provide evidence of EIAs.

Sue Bond of public-sector union PCS warned that the cuts would lead to "the deepest level of inequality in a generation" and called for joint action to stop the rolling back of hard-won rights.

Many of those rights gained under Labour are now under attack from the coalition, which has already slashed pregnancy grants, Sure Start nurseries, and funding to combat domestic violence.

Ms Bond reported that the Equality and Human Rights Commission budget would be slashed by more than half.

"This is plain criminal and must be resisted," she declared.

Delegates also condemned the new Equality Act being phased in from next month which seeks to dilute equality responsibilities by employers and deny equality reps statutory rights.

Moving a motion on behalf of the TUC Women's Conference, Unison's Clare Williams called for an organised fightback.

"Women will not pay the price of an economic crisis created by the corporate elite dominated by men," she said.