On a busy opening day of UNISON’s women’s conference – held virtually because of the continuing pandemic – delegates worked hard to ensure they have every chance of getting through the entire agenda.

Irene Graham from Northern Ireland told delegates about that region’s relaunch of the Feminist Recover Plan, which highlights the effects of both the pandemic and Brexit on women.

Conference voted to support the region’s plan and called on the national committee to use it as a model to shape its future work.

Describing the struggle low-paid women workers have to survive on “on the hamster wheel of life”, Laura May from the Yorkshire and Humberside region moved a motion on the particular impact of the end of the uplift form universal credit, which can mean a loss of £1,200 a year for a struggling household.

Maddie Cooper from Camden local government said that “a recent TUC study showed that 2.3 million working people are now receiving universal credit”, which was a “scandalous” indictment of the low-pay culture.

Delegates backed a call for the national women’s committee to work across the wider union, and through that, the TUC, to campaign against “the destructive impact of the removal of the uplift on women low-paid workers”, and for its restoration.

Calling for a benefits system that enables disabled women to work without being financially disadvantaged, Nicola Moran from the national disabled members’ committee described the struggle that many disabled women face as being like “trying to glue our families together with Pritt Stick and a pair of old shoelaces”.

Earlier, conference heard June Maguire from Scotland say that “equalities are at the heart of our union” and, while the union should be proud of its achievements on equalities, “we must build on them”, as she called on the women’s committee to work to develop a mentoring programme to help “women activists into leadership roles in branches and regions”.

And invoking the title of the motion, she urged delegates to “lift as you rise”.

In an impassioned speech, Pat Heron for the Northern region’s women’s network stressed the need to persuade members “to engage with our voting process”, because “my heart broke” when seeing the levels of turn-outs in UNISON ballots and elections.

Shazziah Rock from the West Midlands spoke of supporting a member who was suffering terrible stress because of having to care for children, a mother who had suffered a stroke and being pressured by the employer.

“We welcome hybrid working policies that will allow our members [who can work from home] to have greater work-life balance”, she said, but it should “not be seen as a replacement for quality, affordable childcare”.

Deborah Coyle from Northern Ireland’s women’s committee told of the difficulties of affording childcare three decades ago and saying that, irrespective of what was promised in the time since, the situation is no better.

“It’s disgraceful that we have to bring this up, year after year, decade after decade”.

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