I am super proud to be the UNISON Eastern regional secretary on International Women’s Day and to be a part of our great union that represents the largest women’s organisation in the country.
International Women’s Day holds a special place for UNISON — it provides an opportunity for women to come together, not only to celebrate incredible women, but to highlight our struggle for equal rights, equal treatment and to campaign for a better life for working women.
Back in 1910, women facing gross inequality voted in their numbers for a motion calling for an international Women’s Day to promote equal rights. The motion was moved by Clara Zetkin at the Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen and provides a platform for women to come together and campaign each year. The history of IWD and where it came from is of huge importance to women across the world because we learn so much from our past which helps us in our fight for a better future.
In 1911 IWD began in earnest and for every year that followed women have campaigned for equal pay, equal access to jobs and services, to hold public office and to vote.
In the UK we have won many demands, but there is still a long way to go and what was once gained can quickly be taken away and we must remember that the price of equality is eternal vigilance.
The rise in misogyny and sexual harassment of women and girls is deeply concerning and there is no place for it in our movement. We will never unite as a class while misogyny exists, and all members have a duty to call it out when they see it and by doing so will strengthen us collectively in our demand for equality and improved rights for all workers.
It is fabulous to see women members in Eastern fighting back against inequality. One such group are the women of Lift Schools in Essex who have recognised their collective power and are fighting for a special educational needs allowance. An allowance afforded to teachers, but not to the supporting roles within the school, yet these workers, mostly women, are directly supporting some of the most vulnerable children in our schools.
These women in their hundreds have taken to the picket lines and I was inspired when joining them at their rally in London where they took their demands to Lift HQ. After eight days of strike action, their employer has returned to the negotiating table and improved their offer which our members are now considering.
This dispute highlights what can be achieved when women come together to campaign and fight for proper recognition of the incredible work they do. Work that so often is undervalued and underpaid, but Lift members have changed this narrative and are inspiring other women to demand more.
In a similar campaign involving mainly women members, a group of mental health counsellors working for the charity Mind in Norfolk have been locked in a dispute over being paid trainee rates for their job, despite being fully qualified. Again, they have taken strike action and action short of strike and are showing the power of standing together.
Our fight for equality continues across the region, across the union and across the world.
Today we celebrate women and tomorrow we continue our fight for equality and in doing so we must always remember that nothing is given to us, we must demand it, fight for it and then take it.