NUJ President Michelle Stanistreet won widespread support for her impassioned plea on behalf of working parents as she lambasted the TUC for its failure to provide adequate childcare facilities at this year's Congress. As the showcase of the trade union movement the Congress should be setting best practice, yet childcare facilities finish at 5.30pm meaning delegates with young children miss important fringe events. The trade union movement needs to attract more young people to its ranks (and certainly more women) - the least we can do is make sure our meetings are accessible to all. Shamefully the motion calling for an extension of childcare facilities was defeated with the General Council opposing it on cost grounds. Anita Halpin and I voted in favour of the extension of childcare - sadly we couldn't convince enough of our fellow General Councillors.
Rotimi Sankore intervened today in support of solidarity with Zimbabwean journalists and trade unionists who are under attack by the Mugabe regime. For details of campaigns on Zimbabwe see www.actsa.org
No comments:
Post a Comment