- The Scottish Government to adopting to law the ILO convention on ‘ending violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work’.
- Paid time-off for workers dealing with matters related to domestic violence.
- Continued positive action to ensure women are visible throughout unions and address the persistence of women’s inequality through political campaigning and bargaining activities.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “There is a still a long way to go before women in Scotland, the UK and across the world, achieve equality with men. Women are still more likely to be unemployed or in low paid, exploitative, temporary and insecure jobs. They are still more likely to shoulder the main responsibility for unpaid care and household work, to be paid less than men for the same job and to experience different forms of violence at home and at work.
“Women are under-represented in decision making structures, from government to board rooms, which deny women access to power, resources, opportunities and the ability to exercise control over their own lives. So we are committed to making space for women members to come together to share their experiences and decide priorities and concerns. Also to run campaigns that highlight, challenge and address the persistence of women’s inequality.
“Violence against women in the world of work threatens the dignity, the health, safety and well-being of all. It has a devastating impact on women workers’ lives, their families, communities and wider society. Usdaw’s research found that 6 out of 10 women have experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months.
“Domestic violence and abuse affects the lives of at least 1 in 5 women in Scotland, it is a workplace issue. In the UK, in any one year, more than 20% of employed women take time off work because of domestic abuse, and 2% lose their jobs as a direct result of the abuse. Historically violence against women, and domestic violence in particular, has been hidden, excused and ignored. That needs to change.
“We wish the delegates well in their deliberations this week and look forward to working collectively with affiliates through the STUC to challenge sexual violence, harassment and discrimination in Scotland.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over the decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
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