WTUC scarborough 14 th – 16 th March 2007

Delegation:

Vicky Knight

Dona Feltham

Kerry Baigent

Sian Griffiths

Ruth Winters  

Patsy Griffiths


The following resolutions were passed by Conference. Women in Zimbabwe was the substantive motion and Childcare was our emergency motion. The Childcare motion was chosen by Conference as the resolution that the Womens Confererence should propose to the main TUC in September.

Women in Zimbabwe

Conference welcomes the TUC’s long standing relations with the trade union movement     in Zimbabwe, particularly the most informative visit from Tabitha Khumalo to Congress 2006.

We now recognise that there is much support and assistance required from affiliates to  assist women in Zimbabwe, millions of whom, due to financial and political constraints,  are without safe affordable sanitary products.

The lack of this most basic requirement leads, via improvised sanitary protection, to an increase in vaginal infections, infertility and depression.  Drug shortages mean that
treatment is either unaffordable or unavailable and domestic violence is increasing due to    a lack of understanding and knowledge regarding the difference between STI’s and
vaginal infections.

The situation for Zimbabwean women is at crisis point.

Conference calls upon the TUC and its affiliates to:
i)         write to the Zimbabwe Government via the Zimbabwe High Commission;
ii)        lobby the UK Government to support the campaign;
iii)       keep pressure on the TUC to take all possible steps to achieve the campaign’s objectives;
iv)       support the ACTSA campaign;
v)        send donations to the sanitary appeal; and
vi)       download and distribute “Dignity.Period!” information.

1. Childcare – FBU emergency motion

Conference deplores the decision of the General Council, reported to the TUC Womens Committee on the 19th January 2007, not to expand the current childcare provisions for conferences and events run by the TUC. We are appalled that this decision has been taken despite the overwhelming endorsement by delegates to the TUC Women’s Conference 2006 to expand childcare provision.

The TUC Women’s Committee have repeatedly made it clear that inadequate, inappropriate and unaffordable childcare is a huge barrier to parents and carers and in particular, to women’s involvement in the trade union and labour movement. 

We believe that childcare provision for conference hours solely, is certainly not adequate for delegates wishing to expand their knowledge and experience at any conference, e.g. fringe events or organised social events such as the International Women’s Day rally this year, or simply to network and debate outside of session times.

Conference further deplores the General Councils decision which has based its conclusion not to expand childcare provision on the lack of commitment or response from affiliates during the recent childcare consultation. This Conference believes that the TUC should be a ‘Leader’ of best practice, not solely the provider of the ‘average’ of its affiliates. 

Ruth Winters spoke at the Latin America fringe meeting.

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Published by Fire Brigades Union National Women's Committee