Usdaw continues their campaign to raise awareness of the menopause, for better workplace rights, along with supporting improved health and well-being for women in mid-life and beyond. The union plans to launch a new campaign on International Women’s Day, Wednesday 8 March 2023.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “There is an increasing recognition that the menopause is a workplace occupational health and safety issue. Usdaw has been successful in negotiating facilities with many major employers and we are working with others for improvements, while campaigning for legal minimum standards to help ensure that many more workers are covered.
“The menopause is clearly a key workplace issue, it is a health and safety issue and an equalities issue, which affects all women at some stage in their lives. People from non-binary, transgender and intersex communities may also experience menopausal symptoms. The number of older women in work is rising all the time, a trend that is set to continue as retirement ages rise and the birth rate falls. Women make up over half of the UK population and there are over three and a half million women of menopausal age in work so this is far from a ‘minority’ issue.
“Despite a growing recognition amongst employers and policy makers of the menopause as a workplace health and safety issue, too few women are receiving the right support at work. Usdaw has developed brand new workplace campaign materials to enable more women to recognise and disclose their menopause symptoms and equip reps with the tools they need to open up conversations about the menopause at work. These will be launched on 8 March this year to mark International Women’s Day.”
Key points Usdaw is calling for from employers:
- A stand-alone menopause policy developed with Usdaw.
- Training on the menopause for managers and colleagues.
- Having a confidential, named point of contact for women to speak to.
- Risk assessments that take the specific needs of menopausal women into consideration.
- Examples of common reasonable adjustments that can improve women's experience of the menopause at work (for example providing access to water, providing portable fans, additional rest breaks, access to a quiet room, changes to hours or days of work and changes to job role/duties).
- Menopause absence to be counted separately to other absence when making disciplinary or other employment decisions.
- Providing natural fibre uniforms or relaxing uniform policies.
- Establishing a peer support group when women can connect with each other about the menopause.
- Signposting to further support.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.
Heart Unions’ week: www.tuc.org.uk/heartunions 13 to 19 February 2023 highlights the positive contribution that trade unions make in workplaces and across wider society.
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