Record of Decisions
WOMEN MEMBERS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
2005

Record of decisions

1.         CHILDCARE

            Lack of Childcare provision is one of the many barriers to women’s active involvement within the FBU.

            The National Women’s Committee demands that the Executive Council ensure that childcare provision forms an integral part of the planning and organisation of any school, course and/or seminar, which is being run by the Fire Brigades Union.

            This would not only reassure women members by providing some continuity and familiarity of carers, but would also facilitate late substitution to attend those meetings when necessary.

REGION 6
Carried

2.         BRIGADE MANAGEMENT

This Women’s Annual General Meeting is frustrated and angry about fighting for the same women’s issues time and time again with brigade management.  This repetitious work is preventing the National Women’s Committee from making further progress and dealing with new and equally important issues which would improve the working lives of our women members.

We demand that the Executive Council, using the appropriate channels, reiterate to our employers the importance of exhausting the correct recognition, negotiation and consultation process on all issues relating to women, in order that brigade management do not simply pay lip service to these issues.

REGION 9
Carried

3.         REPRESENTATIVES OR OFFICIALS

This Women’s Annual General Meeting is concerned by the Fire Brigades Union’s adoption of the term representatives instead of officials when describing National Women’s Committee Regional Delegates.  We note further that this term is being used by some Chief Officers to marginalise National Women’s Committee members during meetings and also prevent them from taking Trade Union Leave.

This AGM calls upon the Executive Council to submit the relevant rule changes to Annual Conference in order to afford all National Women’s Committee Regional Delegates with the status of Official.

REGION 1
Carried

4.         CHILDCARE

            This Women’s Annual General Meeting welcomes the Labour Government’s commitment to improving workplace provision of childcare, however; we do acknowledge that childcare remains an issue for many of our women members.  Many FBU women work night shifts, start very early, finish very late and other non-standard hours which make quality of childcare harder to secure.  This issue continues to exclude and isolate women in the Fire Service, a service that states it wants to recruit and retain women workers.

            This AGM calls on the EC to enter into negotiations with our employers’ at NJC level to ensure that policies are developed in UK Fire Services for affordable, quality childcare provision for FBU women members.

                                    REGION 1
Carried

5.         BEST PRACTICE

            This Women’s AGM believes that in the interests of achieving the best for all FBU women members, the Grey Book Fairness at Work section should include a ‘best practice’ clause for Maternity and Breast feeding policies.

            This AGM notes that due to the Grey Book providing a set of minimum standards, women FBU members in different Brigades are being subjected to different arrangements.  This AGM calls upon the Executive Council to negotiate, at the NJC, the provision of a ‘best practice’ clause within the Grey Book.  This would encourage all Brigades to adopt the best negotiated policies, with a view to continual improvements for our members.

REGION 10
Carried

6.         RETENTION OF WOMEN FIREFIGHTERS

            This women’s AGM notes that some brigades spend a lot of time and thought on encouraging women to become firefighters because of the government’s targets, but very little work is done to ensure that women remain in their chosen profession.  Complacency towards breaches of equalities policies is the normal response.  Complaints are difficult to make, and when made are often dealt with poorly.  Women leave rather than put up with an isolating and unfriendly environment.

            Women have been full-time firefighters in the UK for more than 23 years.  Many women have joined the Service, but numbers of women are still very low due to the Fire and Rescue Service being unable to retain women.  Retention rates are not being made available to the Fire Brigades Union.

            We therefore demand that the Executive Council negotiate within the NJC an effective strategy for brigades to create workplaces which women are happy to work and remain in.

REGION 10
Carried

7.         AGM PROCESS

            This Women’s AGM recognises that the NWC has the responsibility within the FBU of dealing with issues that ‘primarily concern women’.  Women recognise that the issue contained within this resolution may affect the other sections but it is being persistently raised by women through their structures at brigade, regional and national level.

            This Annual General Meeting acknowledges that changes were made at Annual Conference 2002 which enabled the National Women’s Committee to submit 3 resolutions to Annual Conference, however, currently the National Women’s Committee cannot amend their own conference resolutions, cannot amend any other conference resolutions or policy statements, cannot submit emergency resolutions, cannot submit rule changes or proposed amendments to Annual Conference Standing Orders.

            This Women’s AGM calls upon the Executive Council to formulate the relevant changes to the processes required to address this issue and for this to be reported back to the Women’s AGM 2006 and will include the required rule changes which shall be submitted to Annual Conference 2008.

REGION 5
Carried

8.         TRAINING FOR WOMEN REPS

            This Women’s Annual General Meeting acknowledges that the National Women’s Committee has the responsibility within the Fire Brigades Union of dealing with issues that ‘primarily concern women’.  Women members often need and seek advice and representation from National Women’s Committee officials and representatives that are specific to women.

            In order that the Fire Brigades Union continues to serve its women members properly, this Annual General Meeting demands that the Executive Council provide Women Representatives and Officials with the appropriate training and education.  This education would include such fundamental issues as: maternity legislation, grievance and Employment Law, understanding the Sex Discrimination Act, and training where required, on other relevant ‘women specific’ and Trade Union issues.

REGION 5
Carried

9.         REPS OR OFFICIALS?

            This Women’s Annual General Meeting is concerned by the Fire Brigades Union adoption of the term representatives instead of officials when describing National Women’s Committee regional delegates.  We note that this term is being used by some Chief Fire Officers to prevent National Women’s Committee members from taking trade union leave and to marginalise National Women’s Committee members during meetings where their input is essential.

            This AGM calls upon the Executive Council to recognise the abuse of this terminology by some Chief Fire Officers and to submit the relevant rule changes to the appropriate Annual Conference in order to afford all National Women’s Committee members the status of Official.

REGION 5
Carried

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