RECORD OF DECISIONS - WOMEN MEMBERS ANNUAL MEETING 2001

The following is a Record of Decisions from the Women Members Annual Meeting held at Wortley Hall on Wednesday 21st November 2001.

WOMEN MOTIONS CARRIED

1. FAMILY FRIENDLY OFFICER IN BRIGADES

Within the Home Office Thematic Review on Equalities, family friendly policies in Brigades were given a high profile.

However, despite there being legislation to support these policies, there are still many disparities and inconsistencies regarding the information available to Members within Brigades. This causes significant problems when Members try to access relevant information on issues such as maternity policies, breast-feeding, paternity leave etc. As a result of this, Members are suffering and losing out.

Therefore the National Women's Committee Annual General Meeting ask The Fire Brigades Union Executive Council to demand that each Brigade employ a trained Family Policies Officer as a matter of priority who will provide up to date information to Members as and when they require it.

REGION 11
REGION 7

3. MATERNITY POLICY

When Women Members become pregnant they should have a choice of a recognised duty system to follow. This would be in line with Equal Opportunities Commission guidelines, which state that pregnant women and new mothers workplace arrangements should not be changed without their consultation and approval".

This will ensure our Members do not become isolated from their workplace and colleagues, are able to continue with all relevant training and are not discriminated against at a particularly stressful time. We therefore reiterate our request to the EC to not only pursue the implementation of our maternity policy at a national level, but to assist Regions to achieve this locally".

REGION 6
AS AMENDED BY REGION 9

4. WORKPLACE FACILITIES

This Annual General Meeting demands that The Fire Brigades Union formalise a recognised policy on workplace facilities to cater for all Fire Service Personnel regardless of sex/gender, to comply with both existing guidelines and legislation, with the future intention that this is incorporated within the National Conditions of Service and report back on progress of Policy to the National Women's AGM 2002".

REGION 7
AS AMENDED BY REGION 1

5. WOMENS FACILITIES ON FIRE STATIONS

The Women's' Annual General Meeting acknowledges the fact that some Brigades have made a bid and obtained funding from the Home Office to provide necessary facilities on Fire Service premises for its Women Employees. Progress to date has been unacceptable.

We demand that The Executive Council make sure that adequate monitoring procedures are in place to ensure that all Brigades are providing the facilities that they bid for. We demand that The Executive Council regularly updates The National Women's Committee with the information obtained from the appropriate Government Department.

REGION 10
AS AMENDED BY REGION 1

6.FACILITIES FOR WOMEN IN THE FIRE SERVICE

This Annual General Meeting demands that The Executive Council instigates an audit of all Fire Service work places, including Fire Controls, Support Services, and Fire Stations, in order to highlight the lack of facilities that still exist for Women in the Fire Service.

This audit and a strategy plan on how improvements could be made, is to be presented to the Women's Annual General Meeting 2002.

REGION 13

7. WOMEN IN THE FIRE SERVICE

This Annual General Meeting is concerned at the low numbers of women entering the Fire Service as a career choice. We demand that The Executive Council presents a strategy plan to the 2002 Women's Annual General Meeting detailing methods and ideas for the promotion of the Fire Service as a positive career option for girls during their school education at all key stages.

REGION 13

8. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF WOMEN FIRE FIGHTERS

This Annual General Meeting understands very clearly the urgent need to recruit more women into the Fire Service, but we are concerned that there is a serious lack of suitable support for these women as well as existing Women Members.

This is reflected in the large numbers of women that have left the Fire Service, possibly more than have been retained.

Therefore this Annual General Meeting asks the Fire Brigades Union Executive Council to demand that Brigades undertake an urgent investigation in to the past problems regarding recruitment and retention of Women Firefighters, identify how things can be radically improved and then put in to practice the results.

REGION 11

9. HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS

This Women's Annual General Meeting welcomes the fact that height requirements are no longer a criteria for applicants to join The Fire Service as operational Firefighters. We do however acknowledge that some recruitment selection tests used by Brigades could introduce height restrictions by equipment design.

We condemn the practice of using recruitment selection tests to impose height restrictions, whether directly or indirectly and demand that The Executive Council raise this issue with the DTLR, and ensure that selection tests carried out by Brigades do not discriminate on the grounds of height.

REGION 10
AS AMENDED BY REGION 9

10. B.N.P OPPOSITION

This Annual General Meeting demands that The Executive Council condemns the racist murder of an asylum seeker in the Sighthill area of Glasgow. and recognises the rise of racist activity following the election results in Oldham and Burnley.

This AGM reaffirms its opposition to the racist British National Party and supports the antiracist initiatives of groups like the Anti Nazi League

REGION 1
AS AMENDED BY REGION 10

11. CONTROL MERGERS

This Annual General Meeting is appalled at the continuing attempts to Regionalise Fire Controls and amalgamate with other emergency controls under the guise of Best Value.

This AGM reaffirms FBU Conference Policy to oppose all control mergers.

REGION 13
AS AMENDED BY REGION 10

12. EDUCATION PROGRAMME

This Annual General Meeting calls upon the Executive Council to task the National Education Committee, to immediately develop and implement the essential and long awaited training required by those women, who may be appointed to carry out investigations under the All Different All Equal Policy. This is to be included in the Education Programme for 2002.

REGION 9

13. VERBATIM REPORT

This Annual General Meeting again reiterates its request for a verbatim report. In line with the response, on behalf of The Executive Council to last years request, this Annual General Meeting wishes to know what procedures and processes have been put in place to address the problems highlighted at our Annual General Meeting 2000, in respect to investigating a cost effective alternative.

In the light of what would appear to be a lack of promised response, we now further Demand that The Executive council move to full implementation of a verbatim report. This is to be enacted no later than Women's Annual General Meeting 2002.

REGION 9

EMERGENCY RESOLUTION NO. 1 AFGHANISTAN

This Annual General Meeting calls upon the Executive Council to lobby at every Possible opportunity, for a stop to the retaliation bombing of Afghanistan. Retaliation by force has a devastating effect on innocent men, women and children. We should be seeking justice not revenge for the horrendous attacks of September 11 2001.

REGION 9
SECONDED BY REGION 10

EMERGENCY RESOLUTION NO. 2 INDIVIDUAL LEARNING ACCOUNTS

In light of the disappointing decision to suspend Individual Learning Accounts due to fraud problems, this Annual General Meeting calls upon The Executive Council to immediately lobby the relevant bodies to improve the auditing and monitoring systems within processing applications, instead of withdrawing this beneficial facility.

REGION 9

EMERGENCY RESOLUTION NO. 3 ISLAMAPHOBIA

This Annual General Meeting in response to the world events on 11 September calls upon the Executive Council to strengthen its links with the Muslim Community. There has been a definite rise in Islamaphobia and racism, which has had a direct negative impact on Muslims worldwide - where possible, we demand that the Fire Brigades Union forge links and offer support to organisations, especially those of women within this religious group.

REGION 9
SECONDED BY REGION 1

EMERGENCY RESOLUTION NO. 4 MERSEYSIDE

This Annual General Meeting deplores the actions of Chief Fire Officer Saunders in his misuse of the National Appointment and Promotions Regulations with his recent employment of Operational Community Firefighters, and the resulting industrial chaos on Merseyside and the obvious backlash on our Women Members.

We demand that the Executive Council strive to ensure that misuse and reinterpretation of nationally negotiated regulation stops, and that any changes to them are nationally agreed by all the relevant parties.

Repeated disregard for agreed protocols, as is being shown at present on Merseyside, will be revisited by all means necessary, to include appropriate strike action.

REGION 9
SECONDED BY REGION 11

EMERGENCY RESOLUTION NO. 5 CAPABILITY

This Annual General Meeting condemns the intention of Bedfordshire and Luton Fire Authority to dismiss one of our women members on sick leave, by using 'Capability' or 'Frustration of Contract' instead of retirement on ill-health pension.

This Annual General Meeting further condemns the reduction of pay to nil for Members who are on long term sick leave and recognises this as a draconian employment tool designed to:

- Force sick members to be back at work before they are fit
- Set up 'Frustration of Contract' as grounds for dismissal
- Force sick, unpaid Members to resign in order to get another job so that they might be able to pay the bills.

This Annual General Meeting congratulates the Bedfordshire Membership for standing up against the use of Employment Law to dodge paying out an Ill-Health pension, and we pledge our solidarity in support.

REGION 10

© Fire Brigades Union
Bradley House, 68 Coombe Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 7AE
Published by Fire Brigades Union National Women's Committee