Our position on Equalities

We respond to Andrew Richardson from HASS.

Andrew asks the following question:

"While personal experiences of oppression or hardship may aide the candidates in understanding these issues, I am interested to know what the candidates would DO to ensure equalities issues are addressed in an effective manner by the Branch?
What measures have the candidates taken/will take to promote gender equality, BME and LGBT representation at a Branch level?"

Dear Andrew,

Let us start at the very beginning.
Over many years, this branch has led work in this field both locally and nationally and that is work of which we are all naturally very proud.
Historically we have put these issues on the agenda of national delegate conferences, local government conferences and at a regional level and local levels.

Islington, in the 1980's was one of the first branches within the country to establish Self Organised groups (SOGs) and Jane was centrally involved at that time.

When this Branch was confronted by the Lilian Ladele case Jane supported the members in Registrars, along with the LGBT Group.

Our members were alleged to have harrassed Lilian Ladele because they objected to her refusal to carry out civil partnerships on the grounds that it conflicted with her religion because it amounted to discrimination against lesbian and gay service users and staff. Jane supported the re-establishment of the Branch LGBT group to give these members a chance to speak and put their side of the argument when management were instructing them not to raise these issues at staff forums or in the press.
Through the good offices of the LGBT SOG members were encouraged to and able to speak and campaign against the religious jusitification of homophobia.

Jane supports all our Self-organised Groups (SOGs) because they hold a vital role within the branch and nationally in the union, where they give members of oppressed groups not just a voice but a platform to campaign on in conjunction with Branch officers and the Branch Committee.

The fundamental difference between our SOGs and the Council's Staff Forums are that the Brasnch SOGs afford our members the opportunity to challenge management with the protection of trade union activity, something that the Staff Forums, as official Council bodies, do not.

Within the Branch, our work is continually monitored through a system known as the "Stephen Lawrence Action Plan". The Plan requires us to record the information related to all members we represent and their backgrounds ie ethnicity, gender etc. This system records all equality statistics within the branch ie the number of  staff being disciplined, the number of staff on sickness hearings and which equality strand they come from. All of this is systematically logged and is held confidentially.

Jane does everything that it is possible to do to  assist in the organisation of Self Organised groups. The Branch books rooms, publicises events, has allocated budgets to all of them.
The purpose of self organisation is precisely that.
It is about our members feeling empowered to organise themselves in these groups and feeling that they have a meaningful role to play.
Support is always given to assist the building of SOGs and to individuals within those groups. Jane has attended the BMG and women's group offering support and advice when needed.

Andrew R is absolutely correct when he says that personal oppression or hardship aide the candidates in understanding oppression. On this we agree 100%.

It has to be said that Jane understands issues of oppression and disability both as a woman and  from an ethnic minority, and as someone dealing with disabilities on an everyday basis.
Jane has had to struggle against the system on these issues and is well known as a fighter.

When the Welfare Rights Unit were up for review Jane involved Yvonne Blackwood, a black woman member in being the key organiser between the team based at Goswell Road, and the Branch officers.

Yvonne sent a message supporting Jane in which she comments:

"When I needed assistance Jane helped me. She encouraged me and signposted me. It was Jane and Cliffe (Obaseki) who told me about the BMG, about national delegate conferences and black members conferences.
Jane made me feel as if I could take on the world.
Jane pushed the agenda of self organisation in a really human way arguing for black women to become central leaders of the branch."

Jane is a woman, a mother and a carer. Jane is well equipped through her life experiences, her trade union and labour movement committment to be able to lead all the members of this Branch through the difficult times that lie ahead.