Trade union actions to organise and promote equal rights, respect and dignity for workers regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity
Preface
The European trade union movement is at the forefront in defending human rights and trade union rights. This fight must include a commitment to equal treatment, respect and dignity for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans-gendered people. However, we have to admit that to date, the rights and realities of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans-gendered people have been given insufficient attention, both inside and outside the trade union movement.
Diversity helps to build good teams. Respect is the basis for individual input and commitment. Social support is the environment everybody needs in order to be productive and to contribute. Black or white, man or woman, young or old, and heterosexual or homosexual: we all benefit when there is respect, dignity and equal treatment, in trade unions, in society at large, and certainly at the workplace.
The EU legislation, and notably the employment framework directive, which includes discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, provides a legal basis for a more active approach. But research has shown that that there is little knowledge or awareness throughout Europe - including in trade unions- that sexual orientation is one of the non-discrimination grounds recognized at EU level. In many Member States, implementation is not taken actively on board. In addition, hardly any awareness seems to exist about discrimination on the basis of gender identity.
While an effective set of laws against discrimination is an essential tool to help stamp out unfair treatment, on their own, laws are not enough.
The ETUC at its congress in Seville in May 2007 adopted a 4 year Action Programme, in which it commits itself to invest in awareness raising activities on these issues, to take more effective action on prejudices that may be present in trade unions and among their members, and to step up its actions and activities to encourage an exchange of experiences and best practices which promote diversity and non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in trade unions and in the workplace.
The ETUC is aware that while some progress has been made in a few trade unions regarding antidiscrimination and the inclusion of lesbians and gay men in the trade union structures as well as in the workplace, little has been done to date at the European level. We have therefore, as a first step towards redressing this, launched a project with our member organisations to develop a clearer picture of what is happening at national level in this regard, to encourage an exchange of best practice, to gather examples of collective agreements which promote diversity and antidiscrimination in the workplace and to facilitate networking among trade unionists and with NGO’s across Europe. In developing this project we have greatly benefited from the expertise of ILGA-Europe.
This conference provided an excellent opportunity to share experiences with some 80 trade unionists, experts from NGO’s and policy makers and to discuss ways to improve trade union attractiveness and performance in this area.
Trade unions can, and should be, a strong ally for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans-gendered people, because they are powerful players in the field of work and employment policies.
Together we can make a difference.
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