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LGBT Members – Getting Involved We’Ve All Suffered from Survey Fatigue at Some Point

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LGBT Members – Getting Involved We’Ve All Suffered from Survey Fatigue at Some Point 1 Winter 2016/17 Issue 60 LGBT members – getting involved We’ve all suffered from survey fatigue at some point. This year we’ve done more than our share of contributing to that fatigue. So a big thank you to all of you who responded to the UNISON equality survey and the survey we commissioned NatCen to carry out on LGBT people and public spending cuts. What you said gives us vital Only a few more members reported discrimination. Levels of reporting evidence to inform our campaigning this discrimination than the number and non-reporting were similar over the coming months. You are who kept it to themselves. The to the wider group, as were our reality check and our credibility. reasons for not reporting were the reasons for non-reporting. concern about being picked on or Experiences of work-related mental The NatCen survey is still being the issue not being taken seriously. health issues and time off work analysed but initial findings confirm A third of members had experienced for stress were similar for trans that while specialist LGBT services a mental health issue triggered by members and all LGBT members. are disappearing, mainstream work and a fifth had taken time off services, under cuts-related pressure because of work related stress. There were also some positive themselves, are unable to meet the experiences reported. More than need. The report will be available at For the LGBT slice of responses, a quarter of members said they LGBT conference and feature in the the proportion experiencing or more likely to get involved with Spring Out in UNISON. witnessing discrimination rose to UNISON than a year ago. The just under a third. Nearly half had figure for LGBT members was 40% UNISON’s equality survey was the experienced a mental health issue and for trans members only, a very first of what will be an annual check triggered by work and 29% had to impressive 50%. on equality in the workplace and in take time off for work-related stress. our organising work. A quarter of These findings are a challenge the 4500 members responding had For the trans only slice, a and inspiration for us. Clearly we witnessed or experienced unfair shocking two thirds of members have much still to do and plenty of discrimination in their workplace. had experienced or witnessed activists willing to do it. UNISON LGBT MEMBERS EQUALITY UNISON LGBT MEMBERS 2 EQUALITY Getting organised There’s no one set path to LGBT branch or regional organising. Some golden rules, certainly, like making sure we reach and include everyone we should. That our objectives are firmly rooted in UNISON’s objectives. Beyond that, it’s a matter of seeing what works. We all benefit from hearing how others have gone about it. Brilliant ideas are for sharing – send us yours! The branch LGBT members expressed their regularly updated LGBT posters. wish to join. In May 2016 SEPA We are exploring different options Fiona Gentle UNISON’s LGBT SOG was officially in order to reach smaller offices. Scottish Environment launched, with a special guest Protection Agency speaker from UNISON Scotland’s The group’s next priority is to use a LGBT regional committee. LGBT UNISON member survey to I was elected branch LGBT officer promote SOG membership, gauge in 2015. This was new territory for The group remit is to organise members’ opinions and identify the branch as this officer position locally to support each other, to issues or discrimination faced by had never been filled before and identify discrimination, to increase members. Talks have begun with new territory for me as I was new awareness of LGBT rights and SEPA’s Equalities Officer about a to UNISON activism. I began to to campaign for change. Due second joint survey. This will allow communicate across SEPA offices on to the local support the group UNISON to reach potential members LGBT issues via posters and leaflets. offers, branch representation at and highlight the work currently being UNISON Scotland LGBT AGM done. The group has also pledged I attended the UNISON LGBT increased 3 fold in 2016 and its support for Time for Inclusive branch officer training in February for first time the branch will be Education, tiecampaign.org.uk, and 2016. After this, we prioritised represented at UNISON national are beginning to get involved in this setting up the branch LGBT LGBT conference. The branch also campaign. It’s been a busy year so SOG. We sent a blanket email to now has UNISON communication far for SEPA UNISON LGBT SOG. members to gauge interest. Four boards in major offices with Here is hoping it continues! UNISON LGBT MEMBERS UNISON GIVING LGBT MEMBERS A VOICE 3 EQUALITY to engage, which has been an important focus for us this year. Early in 2016 we identified events where we could communicate about UNISON/the self-organised group (SOG). Attending these events, such as the launch of Stonewall’s trans resources and meetings of the local LGBT Hub, proved to be a successful strategy. We committed to sponsoring and marching in the largest pride event in our region, Leeds Pride. The day was a great success; new members joined us The cluster of branches Oxford City, Oxford County, and on the march and we spoke to Oxfordshire Health, and we are hundreds of existing and potential Ceri Lloyd hoping to reach other branches. If members from the stall in the Oxford University and you are an LGBT UNISON member heart of the Leeds LGBT scene. Colleges branch from Oxfordshire and are interesting SOG members and branches have in being involved in the group, also attended pride events in Hull, Self-organisation is an integral and please get in touch with Ceri Lloyd Doncaster and Sheffield. important part of the work UNISON – [email protected] – does, giving a voice to those who we’d love to hear from you. We developed a facebook page at don’t conform to the traditional the beginning of the year stereotype of a trade unionist: a facebook.com/unisonYHLGBT which white, heterosexual, able-bodied The regional group now has c.100 followers, engaging man. Ideally, branches would have with the page and communicating their own self-organised groups for Mike Austin with other members. We have used their women, disabled, Black, and Yorkshire and Humberside this to communicate from the region, LGBT members. Unfortunately, this from the national committee and isn’t always possible. 2016 has been an exciting year to communicate information from for the Yorkshire and Humberside resolutions at last year’s conference. With this in mind, several branches LGBT group. There has been a in Oxfordshire have combined rapid increase in attendance and The SOG meets formally 4 - 5 times to create a county-wide LGBT a noticeable passion for building a year. With the increase in new SOG. Cross-branch and cross- regional activity. members we’re now planning some service groups, it’s an opportunity informal social events and training to meet up to discuss issues we Regional self-organised groups opportunities with the hope of have in common within our various should be at the heart of increasing membership even further. workplaces, to consider and plan encouraging and supporting possible campaigns we’d like to activity in our branches. But We are at a point where we can be involved in, and to generally without engaged members we begin to deliver much more but socialise. The group aims to meet can achieve very little so we we need you! There has been every month, often in a local pub, identified the changes required to some really impressive activity in or going out for dinner, as well as inspire our activists. the branches in our region, with attending LGBT events such as Doncaster Local Government and regional Prides. Our AGM in November 2015 Humberside Police Staff branches welcomed a small increase in receiving a special mention. Now UNISON has a highly visible members, filled some committee we’d like you to bring your talent to presence at Oxford Pride (with a places and set the group on the path the regional group too. banner and stall!), and it will be to increasing its activity. New ideas good to promote the group at and improved communication led u If you’d like to get further next year’s event. The group has to an increase in outreach, resulting involved in our work, please like been attended by members from in more new members joining the our facebook page or contact Oxford University and Colleges, group and more opportunities [email protected] UNISON LGBT MEMBERS 4 EQUALITY NHS EDC LGBT task and finish group Strings of initials. Can’t do without them – struggle to cope with them. We all know and love the NHS. We are the LGBT. But the NHS EDC LGBT? The EDC is the Equality and Diversity Council of NHS England which aims ‘to tackle health inequalities and promote equality Uncelebrated? for all, bringing to life the values of the NHS Constitution’. It’s chaired by the Chief Executive of NHS Not now! England and has member from across the NHS, social care, partner Regular readers of Out in UNISON will remember Davis organisations, patient and carer Mac-Iyalla’s interview in which he talked about how he groups and staff unions. became a union activist. At the time, he was working as a senior healthcare assistance in the private sector, One of its working groups is where the employers didn’t recognise the union. the LGBT task and finish group.
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