E-Equality Newsletter No. 17 May 2009

  • Headline – Equality Reps Summer School, 2009 Durham
  • European elections on June 4, 2009
  • Unite for jobs petition
  • Equality and Discrimination Law News
  • Other News
  • Events and Training

Equality Reps Summer School, Durham University Van Mildert College, Mill Hill Lane, Durham DH1 3LH
The first ever Summer School for Equality Reps is being held in Durham from 10-16 July. To apply for a place, please contact Bridget Clemson

More information about the Equality Reps’ Project is also available at the Unite website. Join one of our equality networks. You can also join our Equality Reps’ Facebook site

EU election campaign 2009

Your vote is vital to stopping the BNP getting an MEP elected! To find out more, please click on the link below and find out some of the work that Unite is engaged in to stop the BNP.
Find out the latest on our campaign against the BNP at the forthcoming European elections.

Unite for Jobs
Calls on the Government to provide support for jobs, just as they have poured billions into saving the banks, and help those suffering the consequences of this crisis ordinary working people.

Equality and Discrimination Law News

The Single Equality Act
The Equality Bill was published on 27 April and sets out new laws which aim to help narrow the gap between rich and poor and create a more equal society in this country.

Minimum Wage set to increase

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform have announced increases in the minimum wage for young people, and £5.80 an hour for adults. more information:

Landmark age discrimination ruling against Rolls Royce
Unite has succeeded in securing a landmark judgement from the Court of Appeal against Rolls Royce. This is one of the first cases on age discrimination to be considered by the higher courts. More information.

TUC recession report black workers and young people
Please see the attached TUC report, which shows that previous experience of recessions demonstrates that BAME workers may be particularly vulnerable to rising unemployment.

The unemployment levels for young people are extreme concerning. Over the past year unemployment among people aged 18-24 has risen by 3.2% over the past year, the biggest increase for any age group

Other News

Organising Guide to Equality

Please take the opportunity to view our latest Campaigning and Organising guide to Equality. The document is a great way to identify key dates for your diary and to organise around issues in your workplace as well as finding out more about the work Unite is undertaking on equality. A PDF version of the guide is available and the guide can also be ordered through publications in the normal manner.

Say NO to Ford and Visteon Sackings
Please sign the petition. Over 600 workers were sacked at Visteon (part of Fords) at a moments notice with no redundancy pay or the pensions they worked hard for all their lives.

Send a message and SAVE VAUXHALL
With 5,000 skilled jobs hanging in the balance at Vauxhall’s plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton , and the 20,000 more across the supply chain that also depend on Vauxhall, we need our government to get involved. Gordon Brown needs to hear from you. It is up to us to make our voices heard, and persuade him that government intervention is crucial if British manufacturing is to survive the economic downturn. You can help. Send a message to government today and make your voice heard.

Stonewall welcomes the Equality Bill
Stonewalls comments on the Equality Bill, which will require public services including healthcare, education and policing to actively promote equality so that all service users, including lesbian, gay and bisexual people, can approach the services they fund with confidence.

Associated Press polling reports on LGBT rights in the USA
A polling report, from the Associated Press looking at various polls on from across the USA on LGBT rights. Interesting reading!

Abortion Rights
It is Unites policy to defend women’s abortion rights. 83% of the British public support this view. For more information.

Health B4 Profit Campaign
The latest Unite campaign to halt the growing privatisation and marketisation of our NHS. Our campaign will educate and empower our local Unite Health Sector Activists to challenge the fragmentation and privatisation of the NHS in their areas.

EHRC to begin programme of consultation with private sector on gender pay gap upon request from the Government. Further information on research undertaken so far, and the terns of reference for the report,

House of Commons Speaker’s Conference
The Speaker conference on Parliamentary Representation has launched a forum seeing public opinion on issues such as increasing under-representation at Westminster . The forum runs until the 23 June 2009.

Events and Training
Agency Workers: Protecting Jobs – Promoting Rights
The Institute of Employment Rights has organised a seminar on Wednesday 17th June 2009, from 1:30pm  4:15pm at NUT Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD. Speakers include- Andrew James, Thompsons Solicitors; Sonia McKay, Working Lives Research Institute; Hannah Reed, TUC. more information and to apply for this event.

Public meeting on Equal Pay
This will be held on Monday 8 June, Committee Room 12 at the Houses of Parliament. Speakers will include the TUCs Sarah Veale, Dr Katherine Rake from the Fawcett Society and Bronwyn McKenna from Unison. To apply for a place, contact Kat Banyard or call Fawcett on 020 7 253 2598.

TUC Fears recession is having an unfair impact on disabled workers
Previous recessions have shown that disabled workers can face discrimination and unfair selection for redundancy. Unemployment is predicted to increase to almost three million by 2010 and disabled workers are particularly at risk when unemployment rises.

Young Nicaraguan trade union activist – speaker tour of the UK

In June Karina Massiel Gómez Jarquín, a Nicaraguan young trade union activist will be coming to talk about her experiences as a trade union organiser in the Federation of Self Employed Workers (CTCP), the informal sector workers’ union. For more information and programme updates, please look at the Nicaraguan trade union web site.

Unite Equality training courses

Dates for your diary

  • Northern Pensions Conference 26-27 June
  • Gender, Globalisation and Poverty Reduction course Wednesday and Thursday (2 day block) 17 th and 18 th June 2009
  • South Thames College are holding a two-day Gender, Globalisation and Poverty Reduction course from 9.30 AM until 4.30 PM on 17th-18 th June 2009 . The course will be held at Carlton house, 27a Carlton Drive , London , SW15 2BS To apply for a position, contact angie.birtill@south-thames.ac.uk

Pride Events 22 June-4 July

  • Pride London Festival 20 June  5 July
  • UK Black Pride 2009 is on Saturday 15th August from 12.00pm – 9.00pm. Regents College ,Inner Circle Regents Park , London NW1 4NS
  • Pride Scotia  Edinburgh  27 June
  • TUC LGBT Conference, Congress House, London  2-3 July
  • London Pride Parade and Rally 4 July
  • Bournemouth Pride 10-12 July
  • Northern Pride Saturday 18 July 2009 Newcastle
    Any members wishing to take part in Unite activities, please contact wayne.lawlor@unitetheunion.com

The Brighton & Hove Pride festival starts on the 25th July and runs through that week culminating in the Pride March on the 2nd August. Unite will be participating in the march and will have a stall in the community section of Preston Park.

If any member wishes to join us on the march they can email Claire Simpson, Regional Officer, South East Region. Further information on materials, information on your rights at work.

ADDENDUM – Irish Congress of Trade Union’s women’s seminar
It appears that in last months’ edition of the e-newsletter (No 16), a mix up occurred with the ICTU women’s conference report and the Unite disability seminar ( Ireland ) report. The report was for The ICTU women’s seminar and not the Unite disability seminar. The ICTU women’s seminar looked at the impact of the economic slump on gender equality was the theme of a special women’s seminar held earlier in March. More than 130 delegates from across Ireland attended the ICTU-organised event.
More information can be obtained by contacting taryn.trainor@unitetheunion.com. Further information.

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