UNISON women steady themselves for the fight

The first session of this year’s UNISON’s women’s conference opened in Bournemouth this afternoon, with Catrina Murray for the national women’s committee asking delegates: “Remember that song, Things can only get better? I think we’ll find that things can get worse”. December’s election victory for the Conservatives – and what it will mean for women – was a thread that ran through the afternoon’s business. While continued austerity and pain was the major expectation, there was also a determination to fight back, harder than ever. Benefits was just one area that this related to. Ms Murray noted that most experts agree that, “in half of all claims, people are worse off under universal credit.” As a branch officer trying to help members, she cited the case of “a young woman member who had to downgrade her post and reduce her hours in order not to be penalised financially after leaving an abusive relationship”. People were “going through hell.” For the national LGBT+ committee, Jackie Lewis said that UN rapporteur on extreme poverty, Philip Alston, found that, in the UK, “14 million – a fifth of the population – are in poverty”, while a Joseph Rowntree foundation report has shown that, in 2018, the number of working people in poverty had risen for the third year in a row. Conference called for work across the union to build a body of evidence to show the harm universal credit is having on low-paid women, and to work with the Labour Link t...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News 2020 Women's Conference benefits care crisis Universal credit welfare reform women members Source Type: news