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Unison Cymru Wales is determined to organise and to seize the agenda

There’s no way trade unionists are going to sit idly by while the Tories decimate our public services, says MARGARET THOMAS

THIS time last year, the Conservative Party really thought it was about to make a breakthrough in Wales during the snap general election. 

It underestimated yet again the fighting spirit that personifies the Welsh trade union movement. This year’s WTUC Conference is an opportunity to demonstrate what that fighting spirit can really achieve.  

When Westminster-driven funding cuts are squeezing family budgets in Wales and threatening local public services, more than ever people need to hear their trade union is doing absolutely everything it can to protect them — and we are doing just that.

The Westminster Tories might be doing their best to dismantle public services by slashing funding and suppressing the wages of public service workers, but there is no way on Earth Unison Cymru Wales will sit idly by and watch that happen.

The annual gathering of trade unions for WTUC is a time for celebration of the ability and determination of ordinary trade union reps to protect and enhance people’s livelihoods and rights at work. Where there are challenges, we meet them with better organisation, campaigning and solidarity.

Cuts to services should never be seen as “automatic” or passively accepted. Unison Cymru Wales is determined to organise and to seize the agenda. 

It’s that spirit that carried many Welsh trade unionists to London for the TUC march for a different world earlier this month. Look at how we are fighting back as a trade union.

Remember Unison’s success with the High Court decision scrapping employment tribunal fees? The imposition of ET fees allowed some bad employers to evade justice and many low-wage workers had to put up with unfair or discriminatory treatment because they couldn’t afford to take a case. What a fantastic success for equality. Another example of how Unison, with over a million female members, is supporting workers across Wales and the rest of the UK. Such victories shape our future helping so many across our communities. 

Our young members, angry at the inequality faced by the under-35s in Wales today, took matters into their own hands, writing a charter and promoting it with some exciting gigs. #RespectYourYouth won a TUC organising award. It calls for a real living wage regardless of age; quality apprenticeships; fair employment; equality in the workplace and training and development opportunities. We are taking this document to all our employers.

The magnificent unity of sterilisation workers at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and Bron Afon housing in their respective industrial actions shows that Unison members will not be deterred when there is an injustice to be corrected and roundtable negotiations have failed to resolve the issue. Their inspiring fights are a lesson of what can be achieved when trade union members work together.

Our female members told us they are frequently penalised at work because of their sex. So we undertook a ground-breaking survey of public service workers across Wales. 70 per cent of respondents said women have not achieved equality in the workplace and everyday sexism is rife; it is taken for granted. 

Many women are belittled at work, called pet names, overlooked for promotion, sexually harassed and told to defer to husbands or male colleagues who “know better.” 

This survey is a powerful tool which we’ll use with employers and Welsh government to urge the case for change. 

Local government workers scored a recent success when their lobbying ensured Blaenau Gwent became the first council in Wales to endorse Unison’s ethical care charter. This will improve essential care services across the local authority, protecting care workers’ rights, benefiting both staff and residents.

Witness our pioneering seminars on social housing and the integration of health and social care. Unison is fighting to improve our members’ and workers’ rights.

We will continue to lobby politicians at every level for them to intervene and help positively shape the lives of working people. That includes the Secretary of State for Wales.

Grandstanding Alun Cairns is currently more interested in renaming the Severn Bridge than in securing more money for Wales and Welsh public services. 

His team of Tories simply don’t have anything to offer working-class people in Wales. The trade unions must expose that at every opportunity. Our unity is our strength.

On a personal note, this will be my last Wales TUC Congress before taking up the role of Unison’s assistant general secretary and I want to thank you all for your comradeship.

Margaret Thomas is Unison Cymru Wales regional secretary.

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