UCU: Sexual and gender-based violence and harassment work in UCU

Motion

Motion text: Gender-based violence is a fundamental workplace and trade union issue. Just as we demand that employers do better, we must ensure that UCU is able to properly support members who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence or harassment (SGBVH) at work.
We note that migrant workers, in particular women, have been survivors to SGBVH.
The report of the Sexual Violence Task Group confirmed pervasively high levels of SGBVH in tertiary education, and there remains work to be done through training and awareness raising within and by the union to help combat it.
Congress calls on NEC to:
1. provide SGBVH training and awareness-raising to all branches and regional offices;
2. ensure that the training:
a) recognises the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality to SGBVH
b) acknowledges that, in some cases, men can be and are survivors of SGBVH (e.g. young black men have fallen survivor to SGBVH)
c) applies in all sectors of education
3. push the TUC to recognise this in their own training;
4. encourage branches to create a committee position specifically focused on union work regarding SGBVH;
5. encourage branches to work with student unions and societies on SGBVH training and awareness;
6. provide resources and support for members at UK level on their rights and options when facing SGBVH.