Occupational Therapy News OTnews April 2019 | Page 54

BAOT/UNISON
Being a BAOT member means you also belong to Unison and can access support and advice on workplace issues at any time.
When Unison wins, women win – today, and every day
Everything that happens in our union begins with our membership and as, not only the
UK’s biggest union for women, but the largest organisation for women in the UK, it is the
priorities of Unison women that drive our agenda. Twenty-five years ago, when Unison
was formed, we wrote a new rule book that enshrined the role of women in Unison –
leading in Unison.
A majority in our democratic structures at every level are women. The majority of our
NEC are women. Four out of five of our assistant general secretaries are women. The
majority of our presidential team are women. With a million women in Unison, we are a
union run by women for women – something we all can and should be proud of.
That means taking on sexual harassment – both in society and in the workplace. A
recent TUC study showed that more than half of all women – and two thirds of women
aged between 18 and 24 – have experienced sexual harassment at work.
Of those who experienced sexual harassment at work, only one in five had reported
it to their employer. Our union has to be at the forefront of cutting through the culture of
harassment and the climate of silence that surrounds it.
It also means tackling the gender pay gap that is a blight on our society – ensuring
that work of equal value receives the same pay, and fighting to stop work largely done by
women from being considered lower-skilled, and receiving lower pay.
Right now, men earn 18 per cent more than women in the UK, and though the gap
has narrowed in recent decades, that is still a huge disparity between men and women in
the workplace.
The battle to end the gender pay gap is far from won – that is why we have launched
our Bridge the Gap campaign.
It will take all of us who care about equality and fairness playing our part to overturn
these structural inequalities in our society. Yet the work our union and others have done
already shows we can achieve real change.
Unison’s amazing activists will be working in collaboration with employers and MPs
to implement changes in our workplaces that will make a real difference to working
women’s lives.
Together, we can bridge the gap once and for all.
Find out more information about the campaign by visiting: www.unison.org.uk/our-
campaigns/bridgethegap/.
MEN EARN
18 PER CENT
MORE THAN
WOMEN IN
THE UK
54 OTnews April 2019
Training seminar for BAOT union
stewards 2019
This year’s BAOT union stewards’ training
seminar will take place on 13 and 14
November at Warwick University. If you are a
BAOT union steward and want to attend this
popular event, contact us to reserve your place
at: [e-mail]
If you have a problem at work we are
here to help
Anyone can face problems at work, but if you
are a member of BAOT, you do not have to
face them alone. Whether it’s about bullying,
duty rotas, flexible working, annual leave
or sickness procedures, a BAOT or Unison
representative is on hand to help, wherever
you work. We are also there to help you make
sure your workplace is healthy and safe and
to support you in case of disciplinary action,
dismissal or redundancy.
For help and advice at work – or to find out
more about Unison services – please contact
your local BAOT/ Unison steward or call our
helpline: UNISON direct on 0800 0857 857.
Lines are open 6am to midnight, Monday to
Friday and 9am to 4pm Saturdays.
Let us know if you are interested in
becoming BAOT steward
Occupational therapy stewards make a real
and positive difference in the workplace. Being
a steward enables you to represent the views
of your occupational therapy colleagues during
the many changes that take place at work.
By being a steward, you can influence the
way in which those changes take place, and,
in some cases, whether they happen at all. The
more stewards we have, the stronger our voice
and the better we can represent our members.
If you, or someone you know, is thinking
about becoming a steward, please email
us at [e-mail] for more
information.