GMB Statement on transphobia

You’re right CaraDune

Bumping this thread to float something I think we should be thinking about.

I'm copying and pasting this from a post I made on an AIBU thread (slightly tangential to the main thread, but worth thinking about - I've also put it on the site stuff GMB thread). The thread was started by a woman whose employer is now insisting everyone go back into the office, even though she's successfully worked-from-home up till now - and because she's not a keyworker, she can't send her children to school.

I think there's a wider issue here, and I bloody well hope some of the trade unions are keeping stats on this. All companies' turnover will have taken a hell of a hit. A lot of them will be wanting to lay off staff, but wondering how to do it without having to pay huge redundancies payments. If they can make it impossible for staff to continue to do the job by insisting they work in the office (knowing they have children) they can push a proportion of their employees into resigning.

I think it could (in some instances) be a form of constructive dismissal, and it will undoubtedly hit women disproportionately. But in the general chaos of the post-covid economic crash, I worry that there will be so much shit hitting the fan that no-one will have either the will or the necessary stats to join up the dots.

This is exactly the sort of thing the GMB should be following up on. But the GMB have decided they hate women.

Thank you, Justine.

You're completely correct, it's very clear where the GMB's loyalties lie. Bros before hos, every time.

Justine had her weetabix this morning.

I need a union at the moment so will have to do some research for a new one before I quit GMB.

D'uh I did know that.

Why is Labour funding them to the hilt them? Votes is it?
Labour doesn't fund the Unions.
Most of the Unions fund the Labour party, through their political levy.

h so it has ever been thus? Why is Labour funding them to the hilt them? Votes is it?

I was active in several unions for almost 50 years.

I've been through all the fights and strikes, as a very young woman, from pre Grunwick onwards.

I've seen some shit, both outside and inside, the union movement, over the years.

Bit by bit, over the decades, I've seen a shower of weasels go for the the full time union jobs and positions. It beats working for a living.

I'm cynical as hell these days, but as pp say, still better in a union if you work, than outside one.

To be clear, I'm not criticising the excellent lay reps, who actually care about the people they represent. It's the many with their woke noses in the paid official trough.

Safe times, compared to the past, a lot of these present people never put their head over the parapets back in the day.

They talk a good fight though. Talk, and trough.
.

This is ridiculous. At least it's given me the push to sign up to Mumsnet Premium.

What happened to the Unions? When I was a child they fought for the miners.

I'm not joining GMB.

I was about to join, having got a job, when they started advertising on here, and then all that nonsense started.
GMB's online form asks ywhat "gender" you are.
They can't even manage to ask what sex you are. Sod that.

I've re-joined another union, which, for all it's other faults, actually asks me if I'm male or female on the application.

Neil Andrew, National Officer for so called "Equality" GMB, take note.

Thank you ItsLateHumpty.

@Justine @MNHQ I previously stated that I could not in good conscience subscribe because I didn’t believe that advocation for and protection of women’s voices here had been robust enough.

In light of recent events I would like to rethink that decision.

Please could you look into a protected and secure way for me to subscribe. Or revisit your policy on standalone donations.

Thank you.

Great response from Justine. GMB are weasels. I assume they’ll be giving their female (sex) members a large discount on their subs if they’re going to pick and choose which employment issues they’ll back them up on.

Or google that thread title. MN is glitchy sometimes 🤷‍♀️

Nice reply Mumsnet.
Unions are fools for their lack of thinking on this issue.

You are right.

I assume they think they can just walk away, and forget about it. After all the only people they let down were women.

I can't get the original link to work. It comes up as page not found.

I would like to read it.

Hmm don't do that @jellyslice, your right to be accompanied at a formal workplace meeting only extends to companions won are colleagues or trade union representatives. A legal representative would be no good to you unless the matter had reached tribunal stage.

I used to be a GMB member. I can't find the words now to describe how incensed I am at their throwing so many women, especially low paid women, in precarious employment, under the bus.

Thank you Justine.

My sense is that the battle lines are becoming clearer. Those that believe in science and dimorphic sex, and those that believe that gender identity is more important. JKR on one side and GMB on the other.

High profile women speaking out highlights the fact that women’s reasonable voices are being silenced. And making some of the slaves to gender ideology look dim, if not plain silly. I have noted that even though many American sources like the Washington Post come down on the side of gender, readers comments suggest that ordinary people still believe in science.

GMB, what are you playing at.

I left UCU last year and joined GMB. What now? Is there no union which represents women any more? My sector is in upheaval at the moment with workloads exploding and redundancies on the near horizon, so I need to be in a union.

I've changed my name for this.

I cancelled my membership to GMB over what they did. I had a phone call a while ago asking me the reasons and if I wanted to rejoin.

I told the person on the other end of the phone exactly why I left. That I basically they let hundreds of women down by denying them help all because of Twitter, that I now think of GMB as weak and how can I expect them to stick up for me when they cannot stick up for women. So no, I wouldn't be rejoining them.

The thing is it sounded like they'd had the same conversation with others.

An outstanding reply from Justine.
As every day passes and I watch the appalling torrent of misogyny and woman hating pouring out of so many businesses and organisations like the GMB I'm very pleased that I've paid for a subscription on here.

Thank goodness this isn’t my union as they don’t represent me as a woman