Unionreps Connect: celebrating the reps making workplaces more equal

This year, over 100 reps joined us for our conference, focusing on the role unions have in promoting equality within workplaces, as well as updating reps on all the changes coming in through the Employment Rights Act in October. 

How union equality reps are making workplaces fairer and more inclusive

We had an amazing panel of Equality Reps who spoke about the fantastic work they are doing within their workplaces to make sure they are as equal and inclusive as possible. 

For example, we heard from Adekunle, a UNISON Equality Rep who has worked tirelessly to fight for the rights of migrant workers in the NHS. He led a campaign in his workplace to make sure that, when appropriate, workers are allowed to speak languages other than English, after his employer tried to ban any other languages being spoken within the workplace.

This change in policy focused on ensuring people were able to speak a common language – whether that be English or any other language – to promote inclusivity and improve communication. The result was that workers were able to communicate with people who speak the same language without fear of punishment from their employer, improving staff retention and communication with patients who did not have English as a first language.

Protecting migrant workers' rights through trade union campaigning

Adekunle has also been a leader in UNISON’s campaign for sector-wide visas to stop workers being tied to specific workplaces – often forcing a choice between enduring poor treatment at work or losing the right to work in the UK.

This campaign has reached a national scale, with reps and members going to parliament to speak to MPs about the importance of ensuring workers have the ability to leave a workplace where they are being mistreated without the threat of losing their visa.

Supporting workers experiencing menopause in the workplace

Throughout the day, we spoke to many reps who told us about their experiences and the work they have done to improve their workplaces.

Annila from RMT told us about her campaign to introduce a menopause policy within her workplace; making sure uniforms are made from breathable fabrics that are suitable for people experiencing hot flushes, and that reasonable adjustments can be requested to accommodate challenges at work caused by menopause symptoms.

She emphasised the importance of understanding that people will have different experiences of menopause, so policy should reflect this and be flexible for individual needs.

Union reps share practical skills for organising and tackling workplace discrimination

In the afternoon, workshops were held on many different topics, including: Unity Works (Stronger unions through constructive conversations); digital organising; organising young workers; tackling bullying and discrimination; work related stress; why people choose to become a rep; and how equality reps can use improving fairness in workplaces to organise more members.

Kamil, one of our panellists from the young workers workshop, talked to us about the importance of valuing the rights that unions have won for us; particularly at a time when we have just won new rights through the Employment Rights Act such as statutory rights for Equality Reps.

He spoke passionately about the importance of getting young workers to become reps and building up the next generation of the union movement.

Building a stronger trade union movement: Join us at Unionreps Connect

Overall, the day was a huge success, with many reps telling us that they were coming away with a new sense of purpose in their role as reps and a keenness to further organise and fight for more equal workplaces.

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