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Campaigns We Support

Find out more about some of the campaigns we support by using the links below:

 



Tackling Workplace Sexual Harassment

Usdaw is supporting a call for Government to stand by its commitment to strengthen protection from sexual harassment at work.
 
Usdaw’s own research echoes that of larger studies and confirms that the majority of women members experience sexual harassment at some stage in their working lives and that young workers are at particular risk.
 
As it stands the law doesn’t place employers under any obligation to take steps to prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the workplace. Instead, the onus is on the person who has been sexually harassed to report it to their employer after it has happened. This approach isn’t working. We know that sexual harassment is under-reported - there are very real barriers standing in the way of people reporting sexual harassment at work, not least the fear of being disbelieved, dismissed and of experiencing negative consequences or retaliation in the workplace. Just because an employer is not receiving any complaints about sexual harassment in the workplace doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
 
This is why Usdaw is supporting a Private Members Bill urging Government to act upon the commitment they made in July 2021 to change the law so that employers have a legal duty to take preventative measures towards ending sexual harassment in their workplaces.
 
This simple step would make a huge difference practically by shifting the burden of dealing with sexual harassment from individuals to employers and help end the silence that surrounds sexual harassment at work.
 
It takes just thirty seconds to write to your MP. It takes just 30 seconds to write to your MP to ask them to support the bill to end sexual harassment at work.
 
Click here to make a difference: fawcettsociety.eaction.org.uk/preventsexualharassmentatwork
 

Sign Labour’s petition calling for violence against women and girls to be treated as a serious crime

Violence against women and girls must be treated as a serious crime, but shockingly it is not covered by the Serious Violence Duty in the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Sign the petition and call on the Government to act now.
 

Encourage men to take the White Ribbon Pledge

White Ribbon UK’s mission is for all men to promise never to commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women. Do you know any men who could take the white ribbon pledge? Find out more.


Equality, respect and safety for LGBT workers

The TUC have launched a petition demanding action to address the inequality experienced by LGBT+ people at work. This is off the back of the gov response to the open letter from unions to Liz Truss.

They are calling on the Government to:
 
  • reinstate employment tribunals’ powers to make wider recommendations to employers, to root our systemic failings and cultures of bullying and harassment.
  • recruit a new LGBT Advisory Panel, with a clear mandate and trade union representation.
Sign the petition.
 

Stronger legal rights to flexible working

Over four out of five workers in Britain want flexible working yet too many people are missing out. The Government must ensure all workers have stronger legal rights to flexibility.

The TUC and Mother Pukka are calling on the Government to:
  1. Give all workers the right to flexible working from day 1 in the job
  2. Introduce a duty to make employers publish flexible work options in job adverts
  3. Bring in 10 days’ full paid carers leave, for all parents.
Sign the petition.
 

Treat Long Covid as a disability

It’s high time for people with long Covid to be properly protected at work. The TUC are calling on the Government to:
  1. Automatically recognise long Covid as a disability under the Equality Act, so workers are protected from discrimination and have a legal right to reasonable adjustments like longer rest breaks and flexible hours.
  2. Ensure a right to compensation, so anyone who contracts long Covid through work can be properly compensated for loss of income and injury.
Sign the petition.


We need a maximum working temperature

We need an absolute maximum working temperature to keep people safe from the risks associated with excessive heat and sun exposure.

Trade unions want to see the law changed, so that employers and workers know when action must be taken to keep workers cooler and safer.

While official guidance exists for a *minimum* working temperature of 16°C, there is no law to guide bosses on what a maximum should be. It's time to protect working people feeling the heat!

Sign the petition.
 


Please give me space campaign

Social distancing is a challenge for everyone but for the millions of people who live with a hidden disability such as sight loss, dementia or autism it can be particularly difficult. Research by the RNIB (Royal National Institute for Blind People) found that of the disabled people they surveyed, almost two thirds said that maintaining a two metre distance presents them with problems and this causes them to worry about compromising their own safety and the safety of others.

This is why the RNIB together with the Hidden Disability Sunflower scheme have launched a new campaign that enables anyone who finds social distancing difficult to let others know by wearing a badge or a lanyard or carrying a card with the tag line ‘Please give me space’. This lets members of the public know that they need other people to give them space so that they can maintain their distance.

To find out more, access free to download signs or to purchase products, visit the “Please give me space” website https://pleasegivemespace.uk/

 

Campaigning against unfair changes to the State Pension Age imposed on women born in the 1950s.

Women face a sharp increase in the length of their working lives as the Government has increased their State Pension age.

The 1995 Pensions Act increased the state pension age for women
from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and 2020, to bring it in line with that of
men.

However, in 2011 the coalition Government accelerated the rise
in the women’s state pension age from April 2016 so that it reached 65 by November 2018, then rising to 66 by 2020.

Those women born in the 1950s have been the most affected, with some having to work for up to an extra six years, and being given little notice of these changes.

A campaign has been set up to challenge this decision. The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign has now gained over 150,000 signatures to demand transitional arrangements to support the women most affected.

WASPI women are campaigning for ‘fair transitional arrangements’.
Whilst they are not against equalising the state pension age for men and women, they believe that the Government:

  • did not notify the affected women after initial changes were made in the Pensions Act 1995; and
  • then unfairly accelerated the increase to their State Pension age in the Pensions Act 2011.

To find out more visit:
www.waspi.co.uk

 

Become a Blood Donor

Why give blood? Donated blood is a lifeline for many people needing long-term treatments, not just in emergencies. Your blood's main components -  red cells, plasma and platelets - are vital for many different uses.

Not enough new donors are coming forward to provide the right mix of blood to match patients' needs and replace those who can’t donate any more. Help ensure that patients in the future have access to the blood they need, when they need it.

Find out more and register to become a blood donor: http://www.blood.co.uk

 

Become an Organ Donor

Transplants can save or greatly enhance the lives of other people. But this relies on donors and their families agreeing to donate their organ or tissue.

You can give your consent by:

Find out more at:
https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk

 

#iwill - National Campaign Promoting Youth Social Action 

The campaign aims to make involvement in social action part of life for more 10-20 year olds around the UK. Youth social action is defined as ‘young people taking practical action in the service of others to create positive change’ and includes activities such as campaigning, fundraising and volunteering.

Usdaw has pledged to encourage members to either take part in or support youth social action as a recognised route for personal development and to make a positive impact in communities.

We believe in the power of youth social action to get young people ready for the world of work and to play an active part in their communities.  We pledge to:

  • Encourage our members who are under 20 to take part in social action as a recognised route for personal development and to make a positive impact in communities.
  • Support our membership to take a leadership role in inspiring young people to contribute to society and to advocate the value of youth social action amongst our members' networks and other trade unionists.
  • Contact the employers we work with to encourage them to pledge their support for the campaign.
  • Communicate our support for the #iwill campaign through our communication channels.

Find out more at: http://www.iwill.org.uk

 

Robin Hood Tax

This tax on the financial sector has the power to raise hundreds of billions every year globally. It could give a vital boost to the NHS, our schools, and the fight against child poverty in the UK – as well as tackling poverty and climate change around the world.

Find out more at: http://robinhoodtax.org.uk

 

Violence Against Women and Girls

Usdaw is part of an international trade union coalition tackling violence against women and girls. Across the world, violence against women and girls is still widespread.

On average two women a week are killed by a male partner or former partner:

  • One in four women will suffer domestic violence in their lifetimes.
  • One in three teenage girls has experienced sexual violence from a partner.
  • One in two boys & one in three girls think it is ok sometimes to hit a woman or force her to have sex.

Men suffer violence too but patterns of violence against women are different from those against men. Globally, men are more likely to die as a result of armed conflict, violence by strangers and suicide, while women are more likely to die at the hands of someone close to them, including husbands and other intimate partners. Statistics show that women and girls are more likely to experience violence than men. The reasons for this are complex but deeply rooted harmful attitudes towards women as being inferior to men, as well as their unequal, economic and political position in many societies are well documented causes.

Violence can have a devastating impact on women and girls and can also affect women not directly involved. We know that many women in Usdaw are concerned about the threat of violence when they are at work and also when travelling to and from work. A recent Usdaw survey showed that women are twice as likely to feel unsafe on their journeys to and from work as men. And women feel at greater risk than men when driving alone at night, or travelling by bus or train when dark.

For women in many parts of the world, violence is a leading cause of injury and disability.

Violence affects women worldwide and action is needed both nationally and internationally to tackle it. Usdaw is part of an international trade union alliance taking action on this issue. Over two weeks in March, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is meeting in New York to discuss the way forward. Trade unions across the world are hoping the UN will agree concrete steps to help tackle violence against women and girls.

Usdaw wants to see the UN and the UK Government focusing on:

  • Using the education system to prevent violence and to tackle the attitude that still exists in many societies that women are subordinate to men, or that men are entitled to use violence to control women.
  • Ensure funding for specialist violence against women and girls services to deliver prevention work.
  • Public awareness campaigns.
  • Tackle the sexualisation of women and girls in the media and popular culture.

You can find out more about this international trade union campaign at http://goo.gl/5RBT9 and you can lend your support by going to www.breakingthecircle.org

 

Workers' Memorial Day

Workers' Memorial Day is held on 28 April every year. All over the world workers and their representatives conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to mark the day.

Workers’ Memorial Day is the day when the International Labour Movement remembers those who have been killed or injured in workplace accidents and those who have died from occupational diseases. The event started in North America in 1986 and has been supported by Usdaw since 1995. The Day is now a global event and is officially recognised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and by the International Trade Union Movement (ITUC).

This year the TUC is calling for Trade Unions across the country to make Workers' Memorial Day a day of action to defend health and safety.

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The official website of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers