Jo Grady: Unions “were not set up to deal with the issues women face”

Jo Grady has argued that structural changes are needed to make unions better able to tackle sexual harassment, arguing that “in many cases, trade unions weren’t set up to deal with issues that women face. They weren’t set up to deal with issues that marginalized women face.”

The University and College Union (UCU) general secretary continued by saying that unions should “look at the structures that we’ve got and … think, where are they failing certain groups of people in our membership?”

She stressed that it was “not about finger pointing” but rather asking “if this person needs help, how can the union do that?”.

Grady, who has been general secretary of the UCU since 2019, was speaking at a fringe on sexual harassment in workplaces and trade unions at TUC Congress in Brighton.

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Also speaking was Patrick Roach, general secretary of the teachers’ union NASUWT, who argued that fighting sexual harassment should be “at the top” of collective bargaining and campaigning work.

Roach argued unions should “lead by example” and “champion this work from the very top” of their organisations.

Steve Gillan, the general secretary of the Prison Officer’s Association (POA), also spoke, arguing that it was “vitally important” that general secretaries “come forward and deal with this”.

“We need to get it right in our own trade unions before we can ever insist with our employers about getting it right”, Gillan argued.

He said that while things are improving, they are not perfect: “I’ll admit we did have a problem in our union, and we may still have one”.

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Gillan says he was proud that POA has in recent years expelled racist members, and said that excuses about misogyny as “banter” were not acceptable: “Banter destroys women’s lives in the workplace… it’s demeaning, it’s embarrassing, it’s not right”.

Other speakers at the fringe included Michelle Codrington Rodgers of NASUWT and TUC equalities head Kudsia Batool. Annette Mansell-Green of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) chaired the event.