24 Jun 2008

UNISON pledges "Key Role for Equality Reps"

Today there was a joint TUC / Government conference on Workplace Equality Representatives. Theses are the ones for which UNISON has secured funding from the union modernisation fund to run a pilot scheme. Part of this is to try and convince the Government that equlity reps need statutory time off. Reported on UNISON's website, "UNISON has pledged to work with the government to further expand the role of workplace equality reps.". yet in the NEC's support of the Branch Disabled Member Officer, you would have thought they had never heard of the scheme despite referring to it in their motion on Organising and in the Annual Report.


The Cabinet Office press release today stated "Workplace equality reps can assist employees who are facing discrimination and provide support to people on a wide range of matters, such as flexible working for parents and those caring for older relatives, disability, age, equal pay, and harassment. They also negotiate with employers to help individuals get a fair deal at work or stop them falling out of the workplace, for example by supporting disabled people (or those who become disabled)."

No comments: