Trade unions have a woman problem. Excellent article by union NEC member Paul Embery

Unions seem to be the absolute worst for having prescribed views. TWAW, Palestine good Israel bad, the push for Net Zero, etc etc. Anyone who disagrees is beyond the pale and not worth defending.

When you think about the origins of the trades union movement, it’s quite depressing that they seem to have formed their own immovable establishment.

Steve North reminds me of the days when the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation had a 90% plus female membership, but strangely most of the leadership were male.

You're running a union. Taking discrimination cases to tribunal is a big part of your job. How the actual fuck are you going to do that if you don't recognise sex as a protected characteristic you absolute muppet.

Just come across this - written by the recently elected and first male leader ( Steve North) of a women's union ( UNISON)). Talks throughout about the discrimination and double standards women suffer from, but makes a priority of calling for trans rights - along with the old mantra like repetition of 'TWAW' ,'TMAM' and so on. Crazy stuff!

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2025/02/unite-for-more-rights/

The Scottish TUC just attacked Sarwar for recognising reality. This is a huge problem.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5277296-in-quite-the-turnaround-scottish-labour-say-the-support-sandie-peggie-and-would-not-support-the-grr-bill-knowing-what-they-know-now?page=11

Another union lots of people are switching to is Affinity:;
https://workaffinity.co.uk/employers-must-respect-the-law-on-freedom-of-expression/

Someone or a group needs to sue a union for pretending women don't exist. The OU just LOST again with Almut case for the same nonsense. The Lib Dems are running scared over their sexism . You can't legally run a union which pretends sex isn't a thing.

Darlington Nurses Union is on X and claims it has Sandie Peggie as a member.
This Daily Mail article (linked from a DNU X post) says that RCN has refused to represent Sandie). I hope that lots of nurses will join this new union and it will become a force to be reckoned with. Also that the RCN will be asked to account for its lack of support here.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14414931/Royal-College-Nursing-female-members-union-bosses-refused-help-nurse-misgendering-doctor.html

Good article thanks for sharing @Tarquinthecat. Unions have had a problem with misogyny since forever, this is just the latest variant.

Edapt

https://www.edapt.org.uk

Is a good alternative to the captured (school) teaching unions.

: "It’s about a policy change. I want it to focus on men who will use this, and abuse this policy.

"It’s not about an individual. It’s the policy that’s wrong.

"I don’t want it on my head. I don’t want to wake up one day and see that somebody’s accessed the changing room and somebody has been abused, violated, raped, whatever.

"I don’t want to be that person who goes ‘I could have done something"

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24628298.darlington-trans-nurses-set-new-union-amid-legal-action/

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24628298.darlington-trans-nurses-set-new-union-amid-legal-action/

It looks like the Darlington nurses have set up or are setting up a new union - Darlington Nurses Union (DNU).

I can't find a direct link to it, but I guess it's early days.

Their new union, the Darlington Nurses Union (DNU), is believed to be the first of its kind taking a firm "gender critical" stance.

They have outlined their three founding principles:

1. Equality and respect for all workers regardless of their protected characteristics (including both gender reassignment and biological sex).

2. Securing and defending workers’ rights, dignity and decency at the workplace (including in particular access to safe single-sex areas for changing and hygiene, and protecting women from inappropriate exposure to members of the opposite biological sex).

3. The right to raise concerns about any genuine workplace issues without fear of retribution, and to have such concerns addressed promptly, constructively and reasonably.

There's also the Free Speech Union. They have successfully represented many gender critical women.

Shamefully the RCN are completely trans captured and refused to support Sandie Peggie.

I understand that lots of women union members horrified at the embedded misogyny in the unions are heading for Affinity?

https://workaffinity.co.uk/

I’ve just stopped my UNISON membership. I hinted at why in my email and all I got was ‘we can’t all have the same views’ back from my rep who was happy to lose my fees.

I have asked before on here if there is any union that actually supports women.
I found the RCN absolutely useless when I needed them. Luckily I got out of my situation by getting a better job and I am now retired.
I have a friend going through a horrible grievance process atm. Interestingly, the Women's Officer in her union is the only senior rep that has a full time job in the work place as well. The other senior reps, all men, don't. They get paid to be union reps. ( Local Government)

An interesting, useful analysis of why unions are throwing women under a bus, by someone in the know.

Hmmm. You know this potential intervention by the EHRC and Fife...

... Hmm how exactly does that square with Unison's position?

I don't think it's just women's issues.

At least around where I am (not UK), unions were totally worthless during covid too. They didn't seem to even consider that maybe they should protect workers from employers insisting on vaccination, quite the opposite, they seemed to try and help management enforce these kinds of rules and put those who wouldn't do it on leave. That's the example that comes most readily to mind because it seemed like such an obvious place where there was a role for unions to look out for workers and they totally didn't step up, but there have been a lot of other examples I've noticed in recent years too.

Interesting article. Unions have been politically’captured’ and willing to thrown female members who have paid subs for years under the bus. They have earned their stonewall sticker.

I, for one, am no longer willing to pay for fancy union offices and a bloated union HQ when they have forgotten about their core members.

Well said Paul! Let’s not forget how badly Kathleen Stock was treated by her UCU branch. The unions have spectacularly failed their female members.