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Amicus – Amicus Workplace Equality Reps Development Project

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Amicus – Amicus Workplace Equality Reps Development Project UNION MODERNISATION FUND Amicus – Amicus Workplace Equality Reps Development Project JULY 2010 UNITE THE UNION: UNION EQUALITY REPS PROJECT Unite the Union - Union Equality Reps Project Introduction workers in relation to white men. Equality reps would aid the Unite the Union was formed in May transformation of our membership by 2007 as a result of the merger between appealing to a wider range of members Amicus and the TGWU, to form a union to become active in the union. This is with nearly 2 million members. The the experience of union learning reps Amicus section of Unite alone has over where there is a greater percentage of 1.2 million members, 21,000 workplace women and young members in relation reps and more than 250 disability to workplace reps. The equality reps champions. The Unite rule book would make contact with members who contains new rights of participation experience discrimination and appeal to within the union’s structures for union them to become part of the union’s equality reps, which needed to be equality networks, to find out about the implemented as part of TGWU’s union’s campaigns on equality, and to integration. The plan was to use the join with other members in becoming two-year transition period between the equality reps themselves. Additionally, two organisations to bring Amicus up to equality reps would help publicise the speed with the TGWU’s network of union’s work on equality in their equality reps. Amicus also wanted to workplace, which would encourage provide support and information to the more people to join the union. Prior to Joint Executive Council as to how the this project, there were some workplace role of equality rep should function reps who were responsible for equality within the new union. issues and also 250 disability champions. In the main, they were Why this project? working very hard within their companies to deliver on equality issues for union members. What they needed Unite had a lower representation of was the ability to participate within the workplace reps from its black and union and their workplaces as part of minority ethnic (BME), disabled, young the mainstream Unite structures, and and lesbian, gay, bisexual and the training and recognition for the vital transgender (LGBT) members. The work they were carrying out. Unite number of women workplace reps identified the importance of modernising reflected their percentage of women our structures to ensure we facilitated members (34%), although occupational the full implementation of union equality segregation meant that women reps within the workplace, administrative workplace reps are concentrated largely and democratic structures of Unite.’ in the finance and public sector. Siobhan Endean, Project Manager, Unite recognised that equality issues explains: have risen up the collective bargaining agenda in the workplace due to new ‘It is vital that we increase the diversity equal rights legislation - sexual of our membership to reflect the orientation regulations, age changing demographics of the discrimination regulations, the disability workforce, which are projected to see an discrimination act, new rights to increase in women and ethnic minority maternity and paternity leave, rights to UNITE THE UNION: UNION EQUALITY REPS PROJECT 2 request flexible working hours, the race • provide a strong network of relations amendment act, public sector these reps duties to promote equality and the right • ensure they have access to to accompaniment for members with training grievances. Union equality reps will not • gain recognition from their only deal with these issues but also play employer and the union an important role in issues such as • develop communication tools for equal pay, bullying and harassment and union modernisation in this field. discrimination in the workplace. Siobhan emphasises: Methodology and outcomes ‘Action requires to be taken in the workplace to change policies and The project set out to: practices such as closing the gender • make any necessary pay gap, promote work-life balance and adjustments to the union’s admin improve the position of BME and systems to facilitate equality reps disabled people in the labour market.’ • cascade awareness of the role of equality rep throughout the Recognition by employers as workplace union’s staff and officers reps has also been identified as a key • develop training methodology development issue with disability and materials for equality reps champions. Unless they are already a • facilitate online networking. workplace rep most are not formally recognised as an equality rep by their The union seconded three project organisation and are not given paid time workers to work for two years on off for training or to carry out their role. appealing to a wider diversity of Siobhan explains: members, encouraging involvement from disabled, BME, LGBT, young and ‘This has the potential to reduce their women members, as well as existing effectiveness on improving disability workplace reps on equality issues. The access and equality within their project manager had overall organisation. Equality reps will also responsibility for the management and need to ensure that they form a part of administration of the project, including their organisations’ union reps’ the line management of the three project committees and structures. One of the workers, attendance at all the steering equality reps’ key transformational group meetings, financial management, challenges will be to negotiate new monitoring and evaluation. recognition agreements with employers which ensure that equality reps are The three project workers took recognised within their organisation and responsibility for three pilot regions and that they will be entitled to facility time to three industrial sectors in the promotion carry out their role effectively.’ and development of equality reps. It involved them giving presentations on This project, supported by the Union equality reps to union rep meetings, Modernisation Fund (UMF) therefore including regional councils, workplace aimed to: committees and area activist meetings. • facilitate the development of 400 Taking responsibility for the key members of the union as new objectives, the project workers worked union equality reps with national officers, regional secretaries, national sector committees and workplace reps to disseminate the UNITE THE UNION: UNION EQUALITY REPS PROJECT 3 project. They also supported workplace these equality reps so that these reps reps in meetings with employers about could be invited to (and attend) the the development of equality reps in their union’s meetings and be entitled to organisation and provided ongoing access the information, services and support to the equality reps themselves. support structures that the union provides to its workplace reps.’ Within its second year, the project added a focus of recruiting and As a result of this element: organising union equality reps within the public sector, which enabled the project • The new rule book has been to meet its target of organising 400 implemented through the union equality reps. election of new regional, industrial and equality structures Project elements of the union. Throughout the The project consisted of five distinct discussions about the elements: implementation of the rule book, the project was able to ensure 1. Making adjustments to the union’s that union equality reps could administration to ensure the role of participate in those elections and equality rep is understood by the become elected to serve on the union’s officers and staff and union’s committees. accommodated within the regional • All officers and staff have and industrial democratic structures received a cascade briefing on of the union the accreditation processes for union equality reps. The next stage of integration between • Union equality reps have been the unions was to develop the rule book set up as a field on the which recognised equality rep as a key membership system and the role within the organisation. Siobhan regional administrators have adds: been briefed on how this operates, cascading this ‘The transformational challenge for the information to all regional officers union was to ensure that equality reps and staff. are recognised by the union and able to • Best practice guidance has been participate in those elections. There developed for regional officers in were already some Unite equality reps negotiating for union equality in workplaces where Unite was reps. This guidance has been recognised by employers. The admin disseminated and is available on systems needed to identify and accredit the union’s intranet. these equality reps and update the • All the information relating to the information in our membership system, union’s admin procedures for education department, conference union equality reps is available department, publications department on the union’s intranet and is and regions and industrial sectors, mainstreamed within the union’s which all have databases that record training procedures for staff and Unite reps. Data needed to include what officers. training these Unite equality reps had had, committees and conferences they had attended and been elected to, and their branch. Officers and staff of the union needed to be aware of the role of UNITE THE UNION: UNION EQUALITY REPS PROJECT 4 2. Developing new methods of young members. These engaging members who experience networks are signposted to the discrimination, as well as members Unite the Union website, which interested
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