STUC Women’s Conference slammed the rising numbers of women in precarious work, worsened by the COVID pandemic which is driving women into insecurity, poor quality jobs and poverty.
STUC Women’s Committee will lobby the Scottish Government for urgent gender equality measures to address the issues of informal and insecure work and the economic crisis.
The motion from NASUWT focussed on teaching staff in schools, demanding a campaign for secure funding streams for teachers to support education recovery.
However, supporting the motion, UNISON Scotland’s Katrina Murray reminded Conference that schools and other educational establishments require more than just teachers. They don’t operate without early years workers, support for learning workers, cleaners, dinner ladies, janitors, office staff, library staff who have also been affected by increasing insecurity of work and COVID.
“These staff are not any different from our teaching colleagues. Their contracts can be just as precarious, their hours can be just as changeable and as one of my UNISON sisters constantly reminds me, it’s not as if you can be a cleaner from home,” said Katrina.
“In supporting this motion we would like the STUC Women’s Committee to consider the whole education workforce and not just teaching staff when actioning the motion.”