TUC Women's Conference 2023: Usdaw highlights the impact of the cost of living crisis on women and calls for action to end sexual harassment

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “In recent years the scale and extent of sexual harassment has been thrown into sharp focus. The TUC’s own research exposed just how persistent and widespread sexual harassment is in the workplace and the role of misogyny and sexism in enabling it.

“Unions are crucial to defending women’s rights and acknowledges the vital role reps play in encouraging women to report harassment; ensuring appropriate action is taken when women do speak out; and campaigning on the issue in the workplace.

“So we are calling on the TUC to support the work trade unions are doing with employers to address sexual harassment and press Government for the implementation of a preventative duty and a Statutory Code of Practice.”

Paddy Lillis continues: “Women are facing a major cost of living crisis, although some of this is because of energy price rises and the unequal impact of the pandemic, this is also a crisis of incomes. Over a decade of austerity and cuts to social security have left many women in poverty. Wages have stagnated, with women’s wages increasing at a slower rate than men’s. Women remain over-represented in low-paid, insecure employment and are at the sharp end of increases in food, fuel, childcare, housing and transport costs.

“Usdaw urges the TUC to continue playing a leading role in co-ordinating the trade union response and build a movement of protest against the crisis. Also press the Government to exercise their statutory duty to assess the disproportionate impact of the crisis on women, taking into account the full range of women’s identities and roles into the gendered nature of the crisis and specifically how it is impacting on women at work.”