Women’s Participation
in Trade Unions
Eileen Dinning
Scottish Equalities Officer
UNISON Scotland
Women’s Participation in
Trade Unions
•UNISON membership – 78% women
•UNISON Equality Structures
-Rule Book commitment to establish
Self Organised Groups (SOGs)
-Enshrines principles of Proportionality and
Fair Representation
Women’s Participation in Trade
Unions
UNISON Members:
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Local Government
Healthcare
Higher and Further Education
Police and Fire support
Voluntary Service
ALEO’s
Private Sector
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
Membership
•Since 2010 - increase in membership
from 66% -78%
•Current profile suggests older women
becoming a driving force
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
UNISON Support
•SOG’s
•Learning and Organising Training Programme
•Dedicated Staff
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
UNISON Priorities
•Equal Pay
•Better access to childcare
•Ending Discrimination
•Equal and Fair Recruitment Practices
and Procedures
•Scottish Specific Duties
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
•Public Sector Cuts
•Redundancies
•Loss of key jobs
•Outsourcing and privatisation
Women’s Participation in
Trade Unions
UNISON Women
•Affected by Public Sector Pay Freeze
•Zero Hours Contracts
•Lack of Childcare
•Less access to Flexible Working
•Constant changes to term and conditions
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
•Play major role in Scottish Civic Society
•Backbone of Public Services
•Unpaid Contribution to Scotland’s Economy
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
•Key bargaining priority
•Raise awareness of the structural barriers
and systemic discrimination that
explains individual disadvantage
•Establish a process of mainstreaming
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
•New way of working and thinking
•Proactive v Reactive
•Strategic approach :How will it affect our members?
What benefits will they gain?
What are the problems?
How do we deal with resistance?
Is there a need for a different approach?
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
Barriers
•Women are not central to the
bargaining agenda
•Failure to apply the Scottish Specific Duties
Women’s Participation in Trade Unions
Expectations
•Women in Public Life need to connect with
other women in public life
•Start addressing the structural problems
which cause inequalities
•Review the current application of the
Scottish Specific Duties