ETUC SURVEY:“Extending equality: Trade union actions to

organise and promote equal rights, respect and dignity for workers regardless of their sexual

orientation or gender identity”

28 January 2008Cinzia Sechi (ETUC)

Outline

▲ Background

▲ Context

▲ Trade unions’ policies, bodies, activities

▲ Good practices

▲ Main trends

▲ Recommendations for ETUC

▲ETUC Manifesto (Seville Congress, May 2007)

▲EC Project adoption and financing (June 2007)

→ Steering committee with unions' and ILGA-Europe representatives

→ Survey launched to ETUC members (Nov-Dec 2007)

→ 44 trade union organisations replied from 21 EU countries

Background

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

in your country with employers with leadershipin your

organisation

among tradeunion members

Po

or

A

ve

rag

e

G

oo

d

Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation is one of the non-discrimination grounds prohibited by EU law. In your opinion, how much awareness of non discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation is perceived in the following groups:

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

in your country with employers with leadership inyour organisation

among trade unionmembers

Po

or

A

ve

rag

e

G

oo

d

ETUC

ILGA

Sexual orientation is one of the non-discrimination grounds prohibited by EU law. In your opinion, how much awareness of non discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation is perceived in the following groups:

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

Po

or

A

vera

ge

G

oo

d

Sexual Orientation

Gender Identity

How easy or difficult is it to discuss discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation / gender identity:

▲ Half of trade unions responding have been active for more than 10 years

▲ Many unions aware of existing legislative framework

▲High awareness at unions' leadership level

Observations regarding sexual orientation

▼ Sexual orientation not prompted into trade unions’ discrimination policies

▼ Prejudices, cultural and religious barriers still strong

▼ Not sufficiently trigged down to membership level

Positive Negative

▼ None recorded

Observations regarding gender identity

▼ The issue of GI only came onto the trade union agenda several years after LGB issues. There remains much ignorance

▼ Concept not easily understood and sometimes confused with the notion of gender equality

▼ Difficult for members to see need / points for action

Positive Negative

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Does your tradeunion organisationhave a policy on

equality?

including sexualorientation

including genderidentity

NoR No Yes

Policies

Bodies

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Does your trade unionorganisation have a

general equality body?

which deals with sexualorientation

which deals with genderidentity

A specific equality bodyon sexual orientation?

NoR No Yes

Activities

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

self-organised groupsdealing with LGBT

rights?

e-mail network for LGBTmembers

collaboration with NGOs

NoR No Yes

Collective bargaining

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Does your trade unionprovide information to

negotiators onequality/diversity

issues?

Does collectivebargaining includeequality/diversity

issues?

sexual orientation aswell?

NoR No Yes

▲ LGBT groups specifically dealing with LGBT issues ● Ver.di (DE), CGSLB (BE), ICTU (IE), ABVAKABO (NL), CCOO Ensenanza (ES), TUC, ASLEF (UK)

▲ Unions' Website pages on discriminations based on sexual orientation and gender identity ● UGT-P, UNISON (UK)

▲ LGBT newsletter, recruitment leaflets specifically for LGBT workers ● UNISON, ASLEF (UK), ABVAKABO (NL), VER.DI (DE)

▲ Putting in place a blog on LGBT issues ● CCOO Ensenanza (ES), ATL (UK)

Some good practices

▲ Charter on diversity adopted in the bank sector; CGSLB diversity plan ● CGSLB (BE)

▲ Training on sexual orientation anti-discrimination legislation ● UATUC (HR), SAK (FI), UNISON, PROSPECT (UK), ABVAKABO (NL)

▲ Training to include LGBT issues into collective agreements ● LPSK (LT), UNISON (UK)

▲ Publications on anti-discrimination laws ● CITUB (BG), CGIL (IT)

Some good practices

▼ Gaps between those unions that have a long time involvement in LGBT issues and those that have started recently;

▼ Most respondents from confederations not aware of their unions’ policies/activities on LGBT issues;

▼ Trade unions’ surveys on LGBT issues almost non-existent;

▼ Unions based in some “new” member states seems to be less active;

▲ The legal aspect of these discrimination on the upfront ▼ Less is being done on awareness raising;▲ Some trade unions have developed a variety of

instruments and tools to help workers in dealing with LGB issues;

▲ Unions most active on LGBT issues often show strong links with NGOs

Trends that emerge from the questionnaire

▲ More help (information and training) on how to work as a trade union with these issues (ie produce an EU trade union guide on LGBT issues)

▲ Promote an exchange info & good practices among its members (websites, networks, campaigns, etc.)

▲ Be more active on these issues (lobby European Parliament, European Commission, national trade union leadership)

Support required from ETUC

THANK YOU