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 WORK
PLACE |
Unions developing world divided on women and
gay rights
The International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Durban wanted to address
the rights of marginalised minorities like women and gays,
but some delegates of the developing world rejected the criticisms,
'Q' website reported.
The rights of women and gays were highlighted at the third
day of a week-long congress in South Africa of the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions at the beginning of April
2000. ICFTU, which represents 125 million workers from 145
countries, spoke out for the first time against the discrimination
of gays, to the discomfort of several delegates, notably those
from Africa and Asia. ... MORE
What
has homosexuality got to do with unions?
 At
the conference of the International Gay and Lesbian Association
(ILGA) in Johannesburg, September 1999, Public Services International
(PSI) and Education International (EI), presented ‘Working
for Lesbian and Gay Members.’ In an introduction to the booklet
the umbrella organisations, representing 44 million education
and public sector workers around the world, write: ‘PSI and
EI have a strong tradition of fighting for human rights. A
key issue for all human rights struggles is the fight against
discrimination. Discrimination is unacceptable in any form.
Unions must encourage diversity and social inclusion. This
means we must be at the forefront of campaigns for a fair
society.’ At the presentation Vusi Nhlapo, president of Cosatu
aligned Nehawu, recalled: ‘Before I became an employee of
Nehawu I was a shop steward. One of our colleagues was gay,
we all knew. When he got into trouble he approached us. The
bosses wanted to fire him because of his homosexuality. We
did not now what to do. So we did nothing. What a difference
this new booklet could have made when it had been available
then!’ ...
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Moffie
Cops: SAPU’s gay and lesbian network
More
than a hundred SAPS members took part in 1999’s
Gay and Lesbian Pride March. Oops!
And
in one of the police unions, SAPU, a gay and lesbian
network has been formally launched....
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UNISON
WORKSHOP
During
the ILGA-conference in Johannesburg, September 1999, UNISON,
Britain's biggest trade union, hosted a workshop on the
position of lesbians and gay men in trade unions.
ILGA delegates who identify lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender rights as workers rights, which trade unions
can and must address, met together to share information,
to consider how to consolidate ILGA's trade union work,
and to network to take LGBT issues into our unions, union
confederations and international labour bodies. ...
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