Unison Women's Conference motion "trans women are women" as nurses battle NHS for single sex facilities

[IwantToRetire]

the Unison motion, put forward by the union’s Camden branch, asserts that “trans women are women and trans men are men”.

It goes on to denounce the idea that allowing trans women to access female spaces will mean women lose rights and claims women have “a vested interest in standing alongside our trans comrades”.

Unison’s national women’s conference, to begin in Edinburgh on Thursday, is expected to pass a call to produce a “myth-busting factsheet” which would “counter the idea” that trans and women’s rights are ever in conflict.

The motion, which insiders said they believed would likely pass, states that “gender-critical groups and individuals often organise around women-only spaces and the idea that trans people having rights means that women will lose rights.”

It adds “women’s rights are not diminished by trans people having more rights” and calls for literature to be created “to counter the idea that an increase in trans rights would mean a decrease in the rights of others”.

Just extracts - full story here https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/09/trade-union-accused-betraying-women-pushing-trans-agenda/
and here https://archive.is/pG6IV

I've just filled in the web form!

I remember a Unison rep coming round at work a couple of years back. She asked if I was interested in joining and I said no thanks. She asked why and because there was someone else in the room, I said we'd have to go somewhere quiet and have quite a long conversation about that. Hopefully she got the message.

My mum used to be the Unison rep for her local council. There's no way on earth she'd have the role now, as she certainly wouldn't be prepared to be a handmaiden!

Liz Wheatley gave a quote to Socialist Worker? So we might read that as "I don't want terfs in our union, but rape defenders are fine".

Of course the SWP are firmly TWAW these days, but privileging the dick is very much on brand for them.

I've never been a member of a union but given my GC views (and my job does involve regular contact with transgender people), I would be interested in joining one that understands these issues. I took a look at Affinity and clicked on a random story and, at the bottom of the page (link below), there was a section headed 'Malign Intent'. It explains that they have come across a small number of unscrupulous employees who are trying to get money out of employers and they are not genuine. This is the sort of cover that the likes of Unison would use.

It was this page: https://workaffinity.co.uk/we-dont-give-up/

So, does anyone know, do they have a track record of actually helping GC women?

I ran a search on the word 'gender' and there's a little bit about freedom of speech/expression but I would have thought a TU that understood what GC people have been dealing with would have returned more results.

A search on the word 'women' returned stories that could include trans-identifying-men (equal pay / pensions).

@Supporterofwomensrights having listened to the latest episode of Employment Law Matters, I'm happy to go on Daniel Barnett's recommendation
(Edited for spelling/self pedantry)

I am a Unison member. Give me an hour and I'll be an 'ex' member.

I'm not currently a union member and might have to shop around for one.

The default union for my job is PCS, but I have several reasons (not just genderwoo) for not wanting to join them. I've been thinking about FDA, who I suspect may be wobbly on this issue, but they're generally much more pragmatic and less ideological than PCS.

There's a gap in the market for any union that will unequivocally defend GC women.

Affinity have been recommended on this board.

Oh.

Need to find out more before I take out membership.

Here is a bit about gender critical cases and their stance: workaffinity.co.uk/employers-must-respect-the-law-on-freedom-of-expression/

@NoWordForFluffy Well I think that's pretty clear.

'often incoherent' 😂

I think we can all relate to that assessment! 🤣

Ooh. That's good! Robust, fair, sensible. Excellent.

I gave a long paragraph on their preference for looking after men than women. But no response …

I do wonder, though, all these 'new' unions; I mean, most unions are long-established, they have mass membership, income, head offices, full-time staff, etc. How do new unions just spring up? How much clout do they have? Who funds them?

Looks like women are leaving trade unions. (As well as men, but more women seem to be leaving).

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9785/

'Membership levels for women in employment decreased to 3.55 million in 2022, 115,000 fewer than in 2021. Membership levels for men in employment decreased to 2.70 million in 2022, 85,000 fewer than in 2021.'

(may of course be various reasons for that!)

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/womens-issues-are-trade-union-issues

Oh this seems to have been removed now. 🤔

Working ok for me just now?

This is why I left my union. Full of loons.

And for me!

Alert! I take back everything I said about Unison. Turns out they have SOLVED gender. They have the solution to the Upton case and everything else. You won't believe this article folks:

Exclusive:Employers have handled trans disputes ‘really badly’, says union boss, as Dr Beth Upton case row continues
Unison’s Christina McAnea said the union ‘would be happy to work with employers on this’
https://archive.is/FpkWi#selection-709.0-715.88

You think things are bad, you don't know how bad till you read what the leader of the UKs biggest trade union thinks about gender.

Leaving the union is not enough. Great on an individual level sure. If this sexist drivel isn't stopped the consequences will be dire across the entire public sector.

What is McAnea proposing, exactly? Re education camps?

I note she thinks transwomen are discriminated against, whereas women just think things and have feelings, and basically are wrong.

The leader of Unison who appears either totally unaware of current employment law or is deliberately choosing to ignore it. And who seems to believe that trans people are the only discriminated ones. In her view women just need to learn to think differently and everything will be just fine.