Last year the Regional Equality Forum decided to support Liverpool Whitechapel Centre by raising money to help the homeless
Equality is at the heart of everything the GMB strives to achieve
Whether it be equal pay for work of equal value for female local Government workers , campaigning for under 25 ’ s to be included in the national minimum wage or fighting the ever increasing threat of the far right , equalities is the cornerstone of GMB policy and aims .
With this in mind , it is GMB policy that each branch should , where possible , appoint an equality officer . Some branches go beyond this and have specific race , women ’ s and youth officers but as a minimum an equality officer is a good place to start and should form part of the branch development plan . Any branch who would like any assistance with this should contact the regional equality officer who will be happy to help .
In the region the Regional Equality Forum help to drive the equality agenda forward . The new Forum has just been elected and will serve a two year term . The Forum is made up of 16 members , one for each of the equality strands , Race , Gender , LGBT , Disability , Migrant worker and Youth . There is also a seat for one member of the Retired members association . Each of these seats must be taken by somebody who identifies themselves as belonging to the strand they wish to represent . In addition to this there are nine ordinary members who do not have to identify with any of the strands . All members of the Forum must show a commitment to driving equalities forward both in their own workplaces and within the wider trade union movement by being actively involved in campaigns .
2017 looks set to be another busy year for the equalities team with the rise in the occurrences of hate crime and hate incidents being reported here in the North West since Brexit . Local councils are announcing further spending cuts across the region , cuts which always impact on the most vulnerable in our society , the low waged , disabled , elderly and very young . The continuing attacks on the NHS with privatisation and massive underfunding leading to a chronic shortage of qualified staff to deliver the care needed , lack of funds for mental health services letting down a whole generation of young people .
We can all challenge inequality when we witness it . Sometimes it is just about expressing concern when somebody makes a comment in bad taste or encouraging a colleague to speak to somebody if they are experiencing bullying behaviour in or out of work .
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