UNISONScotland Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Group
Reports
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Scottish LGBT Committee report to National LGBT Committee
The first meeting of the year for the Scottish LGBT Committee
did not take place until 3rd March 2007.
Our policy weekend had to be cancelled because the FDO Committee
had refused our application for finance. We have appealed against
this decision and we are still hoping for a favourable outcome.
Our policy weekend last year was very successful and we had created
a detailed action plan that we expected to complete within two
years. We have already successfully completed a lot of our work.
In addition, our committee membership is the highest it has ever
been, and the membership is more diverse than ever with more women
and Trans members now and more participants from further afield
than just Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is disappointing therefore,
to have this application rejected. However, we will fight on.
The meeting was arranged at short notice, and 12 people attended
- three women and nine men. This is less than we have had at previous
meetings; however, the late notice and the fact that it falls
so close to election time, meant that some of our members who
are involved in campaigning were unable to attend. Most service
groups were represented and there were members from Dundee, Aberdeen,
Edinburgh as well as Glasgow.
Website
Our website has been updated with more up to date reports and
information. Ongoing work is underway to revamp this with more
relevant information for members and more links to the UK site
as well as other more local information. Responsibility for UNISON
Scotland website is transferring from lay members to full time
UNISON staff although there will continue to be involvement from
lay members. One of the LGBT committee is currently redesigning
our pages.
Discussion group
The Committee previously had two online discussion groups - one
for the Committee and one for UNISON LGBT members. We stopped
using these some time ago amid ethical concerns over our host,
Google. We have now managed to set up alternative boards, which
are hosted by the Equality Network in Scotland. These should be
live by the time you read this report. The boards will allow members
who are unable to attend meetings, to still have their voice heard
and raise any concerns.
Celtic Connections
The Celtic Connections event with our Irish colleagues will take
place in Belfast from 30th March to 1st
April 2007 and the theme will be LGBT Youth and Transgender: Barriers
to Participating in UNISON.
ILGA Europe/ILGA World
The Committee has now had funding approved to attend both these
events.
Scottish LGBT Committee AGM
Our AGM has been arranged for Saturday 20th October
2007.
Ongoing work
Work is ongoing on our action plan that was identified at last
year's policy weekend. Main work includes Inclusion, Partnership
working, Finance and Funding and UK and European development.
Hate Crime
Work is ongoing with the Labour Link Committee to have this included
Bin the Bomb rally
Members from the Committee attended the Bin the Bomb rally in
Glasgow on 24th February 2007. Matt Smith, UNISON Scottish
Secretary addressed the rally. There was a healthy turnout of
various UNISON branches as well as all the major political parties.
Women's social event
A further social event is being organised for women in the next
few weeks and details are being sent to all women members on the
mailing list.
LGBT Conference, Glasgow 2007
The Committee are already hard at work organising events for
the LGBT Conference later this year.
Elaine Duffy
Scotland Regional Rep to National LGBT Committee
mailto:elaine.duffy@saic.com
Tel:0797 663 2242
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National LGBT Committee Report to Scottish LGBT Regional
Committee. January 2007
The first meeting of the new National LGBT Committee was held
on 12th and 13th January 2007 in London.
Friday 12th was a training day, with a session for
new members of the committee in the morning, and training and
induction for the full committee in the afternoon.
Saturday 13th saw the first committee meeting proper.
The first item of business was to carry out elections. The committee
elected their co-chairs and the disabled members' and black members'
caucuses elected their respective co-convenors. All posts for
the three sub-committees (Campaigns and Policy Development, Organising
and Development and International) were filled. Service Group
Liaison representatives for each service group we have National
LGBT members, were elected, as were representatives to other self-organised
group committees.
We also elected a representative to the Labour Campaign for Lesbian
and Gay Rights and agreed three delegates to the Faith and Homophobia
Conference that is being held in London on February 17th.
The Committee discussed and evaluated feedback from the 2006
conference in Manchester and learned how we could improve this
for the future. This year's conference is due to be held in Glasgow
and there is much we can do to prepare for this in advance to
make it as successful as possible and sustain our respected position.
We agreed a record of the conference decisions and this work
was split between the three sub-committees. Their first meetings
are due to be held in February 2007. This document will now be
circulated to all regional co-convenors and we, as a regional
group, should use this to help us draw up our work schedule for
2007.
A response on the review of branch and service group structures
was submitted from the National LGBT Committee and copies of this
can be made available on request.
Representatives from the Committee liaised regarding the UNISON
input into the House of Commons ‘launch' of the LCLGR book, Sodom
& Gomorrah and the New Jerusalem. UNISON printed the invitations
and Jackie Lewis was able to speak on behalf of UNISON.
The National Officer has appealed the decision of the Women's
Conference Standing Orders Committee to rule the LGBT motion on
LBT women asylum seekers out of order.
We made a request to the International department that UNISON
sign the NGO statement welcoming the Norwegian statement on human
rights violations on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender
identity to the UN. We are pleased that UNISON signed up to the
NGO statement and that the Norwegian statement was supported by
54 states.
We are pleased to report that ILGA-Europe has received ECOSOC
observer status. UNISON signed a petition in October and last
year's committee wrote to the UK Mission in Geneva seeking support.
It was disappointing that only two regional reports were received
- from Scotland and Northern Ireland. We were pleased to note
that our Irish colleagues attended the N.I assembly debate at
Stormont on the introduction of the new Goods Facilities &
Services legislation that was introduced in Northern Ireland in
January 2007.
Elaine Duffy
Scotland Region rep to National LGBT Committee
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National LGBT Committee Update Dec 06
World AIDS Day
It is now one year since workers with HIV gained protection from
discrimination from the point of diagnosis, under the Disability
Discrimination Act. UNISON marks World AIDS Day with a special
feature on the web emphasising that AIDS is a trade union issue
http://www.unison.org.uk/activists/pages_view.asp?did=4306.
Goods, Facilities and Services Regulations
As I am sure you have heard, the goods, facilities and services
regulations for Northern Ireland have been laid before Parliament
and are due to come into force on 1 January 07. This was
something of a surprise development. The regulations are
strong, much to our pleasure and certain others' displeasure.
Our general secretary, Dave Prentis, has written to Tony Blair,
Peter Hain and Ruth Kelly, copied to all UNISON MPs, welcoming
the text and calling for similar for England, Scotland and Wales.
The Regulations include all schools and colleges and specifically
ban harassment, two of UNISON's demands. There are exemptions
for religious bodies but these seem to be restricted to doctrinal
matters, in line with the employment regulations. UNISON has welcomed
the Regulations and called for similar for the rest of the UK.
Some religious groups are howling in outrage. There is more on
this at www.unison.org.uk/out.
You can read the Regulations themselves at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/sr/sr2006/20060439.htm
UNISON nominated for ‘gay friendly award'
UNISON has been nominated as the 'most gay-friendly organisation'
in the annual Pink Paper awards, alongside Age Concern,
the London Metropolitan Police, Amnesty International and the
Quakers. People can vote for who they want to win through forms
in the next three issues of the paper or online at www.pinkpaper.com/awards.
Amnesty International greetings cards campaign
Every year, Amnesty International asks us to send cards with
a friendly greeting or message of solidarity to someone in danger
or unjustly imprisoned. These are prisoners of conscience, people
under sentence of death, human rights defenders under threat because
of their work, and others at risk. This offers hope and encouragement
to the people receiving the cards and the impression their international
mail makes on police, prison staff or political authorities can
help keep them safe. http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=10673.
LGBT is one of the options on the ‘theme' drop down menu for cases.
Kick homophobia out of football once and for all
The Football Association are supporting a campaign by gay.com
to acknowledge the problem of homophobia in football and implement
zero tolerance towards all homophobic comments, whether on the
pitch or the terraces, ensuring football clubs enforce bans on
homophobic actions in their ground regulations and provide proper
policing and stewarding to remove offenders from the ground. Sign
the online petition at www.uk.gay.com/kick
- it takes less than 1 minute - and forward the link to others,
asking them to do the same.
Elaine Duffy
UNISON Scotland rep to National LGBT Committee
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B & E Service Group Meeting at National LGBT Conference,
Manchester 17-19 Nov 2006
There was a good turnout at this year's B&E Service Group
Meeting with more than a dozen attendees from Electricity, Gas,
Water and the Environment Agency. There were no attendees from
Transport.
Delegates to the Energy and the Water and Environment Service
Group Conferences were agreed. There were no representatives from
Transport.
In addition, two motions were selected to be submitted to service
group conferences:
Time off for LGBT duties in the Energy industry.
To include continuing issues around email/internet access ie
emails being blocked because of references to profanity and concerns
around time off/facilities time to carry out LGBT work - this
is not seen as being relevant to the Energy industry and so time
off is often restricted. It is felt that this is discriminatory
under the new Goods, Facilities and Services legislation.
Trans Awareness Training
More training around trans issues is needed in the workplace
for both mangers and staff, particularly those dealing with calls
from the public. Examples were heard where utilities companies
refuse to acknowledge customer's gender identities, change their
records or are unnecessarily disrespectful on the phone. Managers
and staff alike also have to appreciate that they may also deal
with trans members in the workplace. Ties in with Goods, Facilities
and Services legislation.
In addition, two further motions were discussed and it was agreed
that these would be submitted by individual branches.
Support for B&E Equalities Seminar.
Much discussion ensued around the B&E Equalities Seminar
and whether or not it was viable to continue this, and if so,
in what format? Costs are the main barrier to preventing people's
attendance and we want to highlight this and refer to the B&E
Working Group to explore alternative venues, dates and National
subsidising costs.
Employer-Organised Social Activities
A member advised the group of a social event that was recently
organised by his employers where only opposite sex partners were
invited. We need to highlight this and challenge where this type
of discrimination continues to happen.
Elaine Duffy
Scottish Rep to National LGBT Committee
Scottish Rep to National Energy Service Group Executive
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Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members
