Venezuelan organisers on tour October: Juanita Romero and Gaston Murat

As the revolutionary movement seeks re-election for President Hugo Chávez in December, US dollars flow into Venezuela to try and get him out. Two grassroots activists who have been organising to change our world tell us why he is so popular.


* Film premiere: Journey with the Revolution
directed by Nina López, in Spanish and English with subtitles

Discussion: Women & the Bolivarian revolution. Led by Venezuelan organisers Juanita Romero (Land Committees), Gastón Murat, (FBT trade union)

Saturday 7 October from 2-6pm
Bolívar Hall, Venezuelan Embassy, 54 Grafton Way, London W1.
(Warren Street tube station)

Organised by: Global Women's Strike

Access: Sorry: hall not wheelchair accessible but help will be available for
users of manual chair. Please contact us in advance.
Contact for info: 020 7482 2496 or 07960 038476
Spanish/English with interpretation

Description of film: An informative and lively journey with the midwives, housewives, gay and disability activists, nurses, doctors, teachers and others running the health clinics, the soup kitchens, the land committees, the education programmes, the Women's Development Bank... which are transforming Venezuela. Features Sharmini Peries, President Chávez's Adviser on International Relations. A Global Women's Strike production.

Speakers: Juanita Romero is the point of reference for the Los Teques Land Committee and a co-ordinator of the new Neighbourhood Mothers mission through which some of those with least are getting financial recognition for their caring work. Gastón Murat is a trade unionist from the Fuerza Bolivariana de Trabajadores. Both are featured in the film. All Venezuela solidarity groups are invited to comment on Women and the Revolution.


* Nyerere and Chávez -- New passions and new forces
presentation by Selma James followed by discussion featuring Venezuelan organisers Juanita Romero (Land Committees), Gastón Murat, (FBT trade union).

Thursday 12 October from 6-8pm
Bolívar Hall, Venezuelan Embassy, 54 Grafton Way, London W1.
Warren Street Tube station.

Organised by: Global Women's Strike

Access: Sorry: hall not wheelchair accessible but help will be available for
users of manual chair. Please contact us in advance.

Contact for info: 020 7482 2496 or 07960 038476

Spanish/English with interpretation

Description: Like President Chávez, Julius Nyerere, first president of an independent Tanzania, rejected capitalism and worked to develop a society based on co-operation and on bringing together the peoples of the African continent. Selma James is co-ordinator of the Global Women's Strike.

The Global Women's Strike has worked with the Venezuelan revolution since 2002.

Tel: 020 7482 2496 (voice/minicom) or 07960 038476
Fax: 020 7209 4761
womenstrike8m@server101.com
http://www.globalwomenstrike.net
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Palestinian Rights ~ Women's Rights ~ Gay Rights ~ Human Rights

An invitation to meet with Palestinian feminist lesbian activist Rauda Morcos during her visit to England. Rauda is a poet, teacher and co-founder of Palestinian organisation Aswat ('Voices'), recently awarded the 2006 Felipa de Souza Award by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

"Rauda Morcos is a true example of courageous and effective human rights leadership," said the executive director of IGLHRC. "By founding ASWAT and being so visible as a lesbian, Rauda has helped turn fear into hope for so many others. We are proud to celebrate her accomplishments this year and to support her work."

Rauda will speak about the work of Aswat, Palestinians inside Israel and the effects of Israeli occupation.

Hackney PSC branch - All Welcome
7.30pm Friday 29 September
the Old Fire Station, 61 Leswin Road, Stoke Newington London N16

"Aswat's initiative aims to allow Palestinian gay women accessibility to self-expression. Through Aswat's programming, women are able to discuss our gender and sexuality, define and redefine multiple forms of feminism, and address conflicts between national and gender identities, as Palestinians living inside Israel and in the occupied territories.

Aswat's group provides a safe space for Palestinian women who identify themselves as lesbians, bi-sexual, transsexual, transgender or inter-sexual. Through Aswat, women are able to break their individual silence, engage in on going dialogues, and discus issues that concern their daily reality. Moreover, in ASWAT, we are able to educate ourselves and each other about women's rights, lesbianism and gender identity issues. Raising our awareness of such issues will enable us to educate the community about the realities of lesbianism, thereby contributing to a greater understanding and tolerance in the Arab-Palestinian community.

Finally, Aswat strives to initiate social change in order to meet the needs of one of the most silenced and oppressed communities in Israel by reaching out to Palestinian and local communities in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. In addition, we network with other like-minded institutes, groups and individuals in order to combat the multi-layered discrimination Palestinian gay women face and to promote women's rights and improve the status of all women in the Palestinian society."

http://www.aswatgroup.org

PSC, Palestine Solidarity Campaign - http://www.palestinecampaign.org
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Manchester Demo against Lads Mags and Porn Papers

New Labour are holding their annual conference in Manchester 24th-28th September.

Northwest Feminists are organising a demonstration, outside the conference, calling for Lads Mags and Porn Papers to be treated as top-shelf pornography and calling for retailers to stop selling them.

Sunday 24th September 2pm onwards in Manchester at G-Mex Centre M2 3GX

* Lads Mags and Porn Papers to be on top-shelf, above adult eye line and obscured.
* Also, for there to be an age limit on buying such publications.
* Criticising retailers who sell and promote Lads Mags and Porn Papers. * Asking how can they justify selling misogynistic and sexually denigrating publications..?

Bring placards and banners. Campaign material will be posted here shortly...

If you are interested in joining us, then let me know so we have an idea of numbers, and so we can meet people on arrival.

http://charliegrrl.blogspot.com/2006/08/ma...-lads-mags-and.html

North West Feminists: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/northwestfeminists/
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Women In Black in Manchester
Demonstration Friday 15th Sept

Last weekend Women in Black from Israel spoke of their recent experiences in trying to support women and families in both Lebanon and Palestine. This was the international London meeting of the International League for Peace and Freedom, of which our own Councillor Margaret Ashton was a co-founder in 1915. A woman who had managed to get a visa to come to the conference from Gaza spoke of her terror of being hit by heat seeking missiles, just going shopping or weeding the vegetable patch. Her children are out in the street because the schools are shut. They have no wages and the electricity has been out for two years. She just felt like a moving target to indiscriminate attack.

This week there is a Microwave fair and conference at GMEX. There are some companies exhibiting at the GMEX who are involved with making components for Trident, Hellfire missiles, Apache attack helicopters and the F-15 and F-16 bombers. Some of these are used in the current attacks on "Terrorists" in the middle east.

You can find the details of one of the manufacturers exhibiting at GMEX on their web site as EDO MBM Technology Ltd at http://www.mbmtech.co.uk/

Women in Black will b e holding a silent vigil at lunch time 12.00 - 1.30 during their conference on Friday 15th Sept and as the delegates go home from 3.30 - 5.30

Please tell colleagues and come dressed in black. Simple placards are better than complex ones, but avoid libel. A simple flyer will be distributed . Please be prepared to stand in silence as witness to the atrocities which are possible because of mis-use of technologies to kill.

Contact Lydia Meryll on 0161 249 0943
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Success story? Win £200

* Linking London - Sharing our knowledge and strengthening our voice
LVSC AGM and conference, 17 November 2006, Park Crescent Conference Centre, NW1

* Success stories competition
Share your success story and win an award for your organisation

We'd like to share your story with other organisations at our annual conference, Linking London, on 17 November (further information will be available soon on).

Sharing successes and good practice was one of the action points from Our Sector, Our Future, our conference last year so this year we are holding a competition to find the most inspiring stories in London's voluntary and community sector.

Have you recently:
* Launched an exciting new project?
* Made a successful funding application?
* Held a fantastic event?
* Recruited a wonderful new team?
* Designed innovative practices or policies?
* Run a successful campaign?

Whatever your success story, we'd like to hear about it.

The winner will have the opportunity to present their success story in a conference plenary session.

Runners-up will be invited to participate in good practice workshops themed around their stories and facilitated by staff from LVSC.

There will be cash awards for the winner (£200) and four runners-up (£50) in honour of our president, Claire Rayner, who is retiring this year.


To enter, please complete the Success Stories Entry Form (http://lvsc.live.poptech.coop/Shared_ASP_F...titionentryform.doc) and return it by email to susan@lvsc.org.uk or by free post to: Success Stories, London Voluntary Service Council, FREEPOST LON6386,
LONDON N7 6BR

Closing date for entry forms 15 September 2006

http://lvsc.live.poptech.coop/templates/in...on.asp?NodeID=92834
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A Stronger Voice Conference
Friday September 22nd 2006

The Migrants Resource Centre and the European Anti Poverty Network - England, invite you to their Anti-Poverty Conference in London, to mark the launch of 'A Stronger Voice' report.

Join us at this free conference to find out more about our Anti-Poverty work and other initiatives tackling the issues of poverty and social exclusion facing migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and the value and opportunities for networking and influencing policy at national and European level.

Date: Friday September 22nd
Time: 11am - 3pm
Venue: Council House, 97/117 Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5PT
Lunch and refreshment provided

To book
email: nazek@migrants.org.uk or
call Nazek Ramadan: 020 7834 2505, or
by post to: MRC, A Stronger Voice Conference, 24 Churton St, London, SW1V 2LP

A full programme of the Conference will be sent to participants nearer to the event

The Migrants Resource Centre works with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers and in partnership with other agencies to effect social justice and change, enabling migrants and refugees to fully participate in this society.

The European Anti-Poverty Network - England
Connecting the grassroots to Europe
Combating poverty and exclusion in England
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A Call for EFF Affinity Groups
Deadline for Applications: 15 October 2006

Europe is living through a phase of rapid change and transition due to multiple forces both within and outside Europe. There is the process of European enlargement, the decline of the national state, new trends in the movement of people in the search for jobs, changes in identities and communities. For many women there is growing poverty and increasing marginalisation. For others, new avenues have opened up. Gains made by women's rights movements are under threat and many new concerns for women are emerging.

The European Feminist Forum (EFF) is a space for discussions on how to re-politicize the feminist movement in Europe and to explore feminist agendas needed in today's Europe. EFF aims to engage all interested in a broad forum on key issues for feminists across Europe, however they wish to define Europe. EFF aims to build collectively a programme for a revitalized feminism in Europe through an on-going process leading to a European-wide face-to-face meeting in Central Europe that will launch renewed feminist political engagement in all of Europe. The main vehicle to launch this initiative is affinity groups as a non hierarchical, open and participatory and innovative process to explore topics EFF participants see as key to their political vision as feminists.

Some of these topics could be:
* What is a feminist alternative to the economic mainstream; can we build a vision for a more just economics,
* How as feminists working in different European countries and networks can we work collectively to fight the growing threats to abortion laws,
* How as feminists living in Europe do we see migration in our lives, as migrants and as women supporting migrants,
* What does the EU enlargement offer for women and how can feminists ensure it offers positive opportunities for women, across the different geographic national borders, etc.

We are currently calling for topics and coordinators of up to 15 affinity groups. Affinity groups are invited to work in which ever medium they chose, in cyberspace, face-to-face meetings, across all European countries, within one country, in which ever language and media. The affinity groups findings set the agenda for EFF in the future. In the next months the outcomes of affinity group discussions and activities will shape the face-to-face meeting of the European Feminist Forum planned to take place in a Central European country September 2007.

There is nominal financial support available for affinity groups to prepare discussions papers, videos, podcasts and other outcomes for the EFF face-to-face meeting.

We invite all interested in the EFF to form a group under the topic you wish to work on and to apply as a coordinator of the affinity group for funding. Please see below the questions which we would like you to consider when applying, particularly in relation to the time line and the design of the affinity group process. Affinity group coordinators will also be invited to participate in shaping the EFF programme process.

If you are interested in coordinating an affinity group, please send to the EFF organising Group (EFF@iiav.nl) the following information:

1. Topic of the group, short description of issue and name of contact person (coordinator)
2. Persons to be involved/represented (age group, interest, national location(s), gender etc.)
3. How does your affinity group plan to include new individuals who are interested
in the topic of your group (if at all)
4. The proposed process for organising the affinity group
5. Language of the affinity group and outcome to be produced
6. How the discussions will be presented at the EFF (theatre, video, paper, workshop etc.)
7. Time line of the affinity group
8. Do you have access to broadband internet yes/no
9. Do you have (access to) a webcam yes/no
10. Which conferences or meetings (regional/international) are you planning to visit before September 2007, where you could give information about the EFF

Please contact us for any further information on affinity groups or any aspect of the EFF process.

EFF Organising Group
EFF@iiav.nl
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Attitudes to Rape - Online survey

I am writing to ask for your assistance with a research project which Iam carrying out with Professor Barbara Krahé from the University ofPotsdam, Germany, funded by the German Science Foundation; in co-operation with Sussex University, Law department.

We are studying attitudes about rape and their impact on judgements about defendants and complainants. In particular, we are concerned with the views of members of the general public potentially eligible for jury service who may be put in a position to decide about rape complaints in court - which would apply to every UK citizen above 18.

To address our research questions, we have developed an online questionnaire to measure views about rape and judgements about a number of hypothetical rape cases.

We have done a similar study in Germany already, and would like to compare results with answers of people from the UK since our law systems differ to some extent (e.g. there is a jury system in the UK, while in Germany there is not).

To reach a large and diverse number of potential participants, we would be grateful if you would agree to fill in our questionnaire - that you might find very interesting; and forward this email to friends and colleagues (the so-called snowball effect). We are hoping to attract as many people as possible from all over the UK.

The questionnaire only asks for participants' views. It does not collect any personal data or ask intrusive questions. All responses will be completely anonymous and will only be used for research purposes. The questionnaire can be viewed online at: http://www.w-lab.de/jury_me06.html

If you would like to have any further information about the study, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Also, if you would like a short (presumably 1 page) summary of our results of the study, you are also more than welcome to write me an email.

I should be most grateful for your help

With kind regards

Yours sincerely

Anja Berger
Department of Psychology
Social Psychology
University of Potsdam
Postfach 60 15 53
D-14415 Potsdam
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Qissat: Short Stories by Palestinian Women

Reading at Royal Festival Hall, London
14 September 2006, 7:45 Purcell Room

New conflict in the Middle East has lent greater urgency to a new short story anthology, four of whose writers gather to discuss their work in the Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room, 14 September 2006. The warehouse of publishers, Saqi Books, was bombed in the Israeli blitzkrieg on Beirut.

At the UK premiere for this collection of stories by Palestinians living under occupation and throughout the diaspora, Liana Badr, Randa Jarrar, Adania Shibli and Huzama Habayeb will read from and discuss their writing.

Qissat offers critical comment on one of the most complex regions of the world but also an appeal to the warmth of human relations, and showcases extraordinary new voices which demand to be heard. The event features bilingual readings.

Tickets: £8.50
Booking Fee: £1.50 Members: 75p
Concessions: 50% off (limited availability)

http://www.rfh.org.uk/main/events/132253.html

With a pre-amble in view of recent events you can read interviews with the authors at http://www.rfh.org.uk/editorial/sept06_qissat_1.html
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Beyond "Feminism v Multiculturalism"

All day on 17 November 2006

A jointly organised one day seminar workshop by:
* The School of Law, King's College London LSE Gender Institute
* The AHRC Research Centre for Law, Gender and Sexuality

Registration includes lunch and is £20 waged, £10 unwaged.

Beyond "Feminism v Multiculturalism"
Revisiting the relationship between power, beliefs, identity and values

This inter-disciplinary workshop brings together academics from various disciplines (including law, politics, women's studies, cultural studies and sociology), as well as non-academics, to debate the feminism and cultural difference stalemate, and explore ways of moving through and beyond it. At its crudest, the stalemate involves two polarities: ethnic and religious minorities, alongside advocates of cultural relativism and autonomy, on the one side; and, on the other, feminists seen as targeting minorities for their veiling, female circumcision, marital and divorce practices in ways that deflect attention from relations of (post)colonial power, and from the gendered practices perpetrated by dominant constituencies and western states.

While there are bodies of work that avoid this polarity, its growing power and salience within academic and policy arenas makes it worthy of further consideration and debate. As a stalemate it has divided progressive commentators, made it hard to explore gendered practices within religious communities (including dominant ones) in ways that are both critical and contextualised, and has allowed liberal states to portray themselves as beyond feminist reproach. More theoretically, it has obstructed attempts to address the interrelationship of belief, power and social identity, and the implications of these relationships for a critical political agenda. These limitations and obstacles are becoming increasingly significant given the hardening of positions around liberal free speech, the widening of non-discrimination provisions at national and international level (causing sexual minorities to be pitted against religious ones), and the growing xenophobia and rigidifying of national boundaries within the state and public sphere.

This workshop seeks to engage with and build upon the perspectives of those offering ways out of this stalemate. Through the papers and discussion around them, the workshop seeks to explore:
* How should state bodies respond to charges of institutionalised sexism and inequality within minority communities?
* To what extent do state practices, for instance, over immigration, citizenship, welfare provision, medical intervention and advertising, contribute to gendered inequalities within majority and minority communities?
* Should democratic political processes focus on sexism within wider cultural and social life rather than among minorities?
* What part do the courts play in the gendered, cultural construction of minorities?
* What limits or conditions, if any, should be placed on external critique by commentators academic and otherwise regarding the practices and beliefs of others?
* What kinds of political conversations can and should take place regarding belief, given conditions of social inequality?
* Within the feminism and multiculturalism debate how do conceptions of 'community', 'beliefs', 'culture', 'tradition', 'group' and 'power' become understood, and with what discursive effects?
* What frameworks and perspectives are available to rethink these conflicts differently, and to understand the interface of belief, identity, and social location more constructively?
* What gets erased or lost in the construction of minorities as anti-feminist?
* Do anti-racist and Black feminisms, alongside other intersectional, theoretical frameworks that grow out of multiple oppressions, provide more productive ways of thinking through these tensions?

Programme
09:30-10:30 Registration and refreshments
10:30-11:45 Panel one chair: (tbc)
* Anne Phillips (LSE) Multiculturalism without Culture
* Madhavi Sunder (University of California) The New Enlightenment
11:45-12:00 Tea break
12:00-13:15 Panel two chair: Aisha Gil (Roehampton)
* Reina Lewis (London College of Fashion) Consuming Multiculture: Veils, Uniforms and Agency
* Erica Burman (Manchester Metropolitan University) Trans/National Topologies: Power Gradients of Multiculturalisms
13:15-14:15 Lunch
14:15-15:30 Panel three chair: Andrea Baumeister (Stirling)
* Oonagh Reitman (LSE) Feminism, Multiculturalism and their Borderlands
* Monica Mookherjee (Keele) Decolonizing the Others Rights: Feminism, Multiculturalism and the Right to Mediation
15:30-15:45 Tea break
15:45-17:30 Panel four and concluding remarks chair: Davina Cooper (UKC)
* Brenna Bhandar (Reading) Race, Law and Religion: A Feminist Re-appraisal of Secular Fundamentalism
* Maleiha Malik (KCL) "The Branch on Which We Sit": Feminism, Multiculturalism and Minority Women

The Venue and Registration information will be posted on our web page in September.
Further information is available from:
* Davina Cooper on d.s.cooper@kent.ac.uk (academic enquiries)
* Lauretta Alexander on law-feminismworkshop@kcl.ac.uk (administration and registration enquiries)

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/law/femworkshop.html
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FIGHT BACK FOR WOMEN'S LIBERATION

Feminist Fightback is a conference for feminist activists, which will be held on Saturday 21 October at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London (http://www.soas.ac.uk/contact/location.cfm?navid=1110).

Feminist Fightback is free - donations to cover the cost of organising are gratefully accepted!

FEMINISTS, FIGHT BACK!

Discrimination and exploitation at work, unequal pay, domestic violence, sexual objectification, denial of reproductive rights, rape, racism, war, poverty and religious fundamentalism... The fight for women's liberation has not yet been won. Women's rights are everywhere under attack, and yet all over the world women are at the forefront of some of the most inspiring struggles for freedom, equality and social justice - as women's rights campaigners, as community activists and as workers.

Despite our continued desire for freedom and equality, too many women today feel that feminism doesn't speak to them.

Too many people think that feminism is about being made to feel guilty for what we do with our bodies or how we express our sexuality; about a group of 'experts' telling other women how to live; or about a handful of rich and powerful women getting to 'the top'. We think feminism is about ordinary women coming together to challenge sexism in their own lives, and to support women around the world demanding their rights.

We want a feminism that fights. A women's movement that is about activism, not just talk; about grassroots campaigning, not just lobbying; about politics, not just about lifestyle choices; and about liberation for all, not just equality for a privileged few.

The Feminist Fightback conference aims to empower women of all ages to fight back against oppression and exploitation. It is a one day event where women can debate the issues which affect their lives, share their experiences, and, most importantly, develop practical ways in which they can turn feminism into activism.

Feminist Fightback is open to all. Whether you want to share your experiences and ideas as an activist, debate with us about how to end oppression, or just find out more about what feminism means - come and get angry, come and get active, come and help us change the world!

Supporting individuals include:

Debbie Hollingsworth - Ruskin College students' union women's officer
Rachael Ferguson - Sussex University women's officer
Petra Urwin - SOAS Women's Society president
Teodora Todorova - Nottingham University women's officer
Vicki Ward - University of Wales Lampeter women's officer (Swyddog Merched)
Sofie Buckland - National Union of Students national executive committee
Janine Booth - Hackney TUC president
Kate Ahrens - Leicester Health Unison (pc)
Camila Bassi - Sheffield Hallam University UCU
Beth Aze - Salford Unison
Faz Velmi - Battersea & Wandsworth Trades Council (pc)
Houzan Mahmoud - Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq (UK)
Surma Hamid - London Metropolitan University
Louise Gold - Sheffield University, NUS Women's Committee 2004-6
Laura Sterry - Nottingham University
Laura Schwartz - University of East London
Jo Read - NUS Women's Campaign steering committee
Mary Partington - Education Not For Sale Women
Maddy Evans - Essex University People & Planet
Anna Wolmuth - Oxford University People & Planet
Ruth Cashman - Newcastle University
Ann Marie O'Reilly - People and Planet Steering committee
Charlynne Pullen - Access and Academic Affairs Sabbatical Officer, Oxford University Student Union 2005-6
Louise McMullen - Amicus
Prof. Barbara Taylor - University of East London
Dr. Amrit Wilson - London Metropolitian University
Pauline Bradley - Shop Steward, West Dunbartonshire Unison Scotland
Hannah Roe - Co-Chair of Women's Campaign, Oxford University
Prof. Susie Orbach - London School of Economics, author of 'Fat is a Feminist Issue'
Marsha-Jane Thompson - London Unison Young Members' Convenor
Darcy Leigh - Edinburgh University
Sitara Amin Tilly - Alexandra Park Sixth Form, London
Maria Exall - Communication Workers' Union Executive

Supporting organisations:

Education Not for Sale Women - www.socialistfeminist.org.uk
LRC Socialist Youth Network - www.socialistyouth.org.uk
Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq (UK)
No Borders Network
Finsbury Park RMT

Please add your or your group's name to the statement by emailing team@fightback.org.uk

http://www.fightback.org.uk/statement.html

* Are men allowed to come?
Yes. There will be a campaign planning session at the end of the conference for an abortion rights direct action - in keeping with the principle of women's self organisation, this will be closed to men. A session on the role of men in anti-sexist struggles will run concurrently.

* Is it open to everyone?
Feminist Fightback is involving activist from a variety of backgrounds, particularly the student movement and trade union movement. If you're interested in fighting for women's liberation you should come - it doesn't matter what you do.

* What if I'm not a socialist feminist?
The aim of this conference is open debate - there will be a variety of speakers with quite sharply opposing viewpoints. It doesn't matter what kind of feminist you are, or even if you're not are one - if you're interested in these issues, come along!

http://www.fightback.org.uk/faq.html
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Colombia: War on Women
Conference - Thursday September 21st

A half-day conference to learn about the struggles faced by women in Colombia and the similarities between those struggles and the issues faced by women in the UK. The event will be a chance for women in the Colombian and British trade union, social and peace movements to share experiences and ideas.

Speakers include:
* Senator Gloria Ramirez, former leader of the teachers' union and now an opposition poltician
* Aidee Moreno, director of the human rights department of the Colombian agricultural workers' trade union
* Martha Elena Giraldo, leader of the women's peace movement in Colombia
* Dr Mary Bousted, ATL General Secretary
* Sally Hunt, UCU General Secretary
* Diana Holland, T&G Head of Equalities
* Karen Mitchell, Partner, Thompsons Solicitors

Download the flyer for the event here http://www.justiceforcolombia.org/waronwomen.jpg

Time: 1.00pm - 6.00pm
Venue: General Council Chamber, TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street London WC1B 3LS
Entrance: free
Directions: Nearest tube station: Tottenham Court Road.

Tel/Fax: 44 (0) 207 794 3644
E-mail: info@justiceforcolombia.org
Web: http://www.justiceforcolombia.org
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'From the playground to the boardroom' - action plan to break down barriers to women's achievement

A major action plan to tackle barriers to women's achievement in the workplace and transform the culture in Britain 'from the playground to the boardroom' was launched on 11th September by Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly

The Government's action plan includes a raft of practical new measures addressing almost forty recommendations made by the Women and Work Commission in their 'Shaping a Fairer Future' report. It will improve opportunities for women to get on at work and encourage a culture change within those companies and organisations still failing to see the huge economic potential of their female workforce. Measures include:

* A major new 'Exemplar Employer Initiative' - the Government will work with employers to develop programmes such as helping women returning from work access quality part-time work, flexible working for women and setting up job share registers. More than 80 organisations have already signed up for the scheme, ranging from high street names to small business to public sector organisations.

* The roll-out of new 'Equality Reps' across England. The scheme will step up awareness among workers of flexible working rights and discrimination issues by working alongside statutory union representatives.

* A new 'Equality Check' that will help companies spot any emerging problems with equal treatment of staff such as determining the level of gender pay gap.

* A national education standard in schools, to step up cultural change by making girls aware of non-traditional career opportunities. This will come into force from April 2007 to ensure all young people receive careers information, advice and guidance which is free from gender stereotyping.

* A new half a million pound fund to support companies and organisations in increasing the number of senior and quality roles available part time.

Minister for Women Ruth Kelly announced on Sunday that all jobs in her own department will now be advertised as available on a flexible or part time basis. Launching this action plan, she said;

"Today's parents find it difficult to balance professional and family commitments - the role of government should be to help them make the decisions that suit them and their families. The proposals we are setting out today aim to establish a change in culture from the playground to the boardroom. Just because a woman decides to trade down her hours, doesn't mean she should trade down her status. There have been huge improvements across the workplace but we want all employers to reach the standards of the best.

"The best of business already understands the benefits that flexible working delivers but it's time the rest jumped on board. There is a hard-headed business reason for this - the Women and Work Commission suggests helping women harness their full potential is worth up to £23billion a year to the UK economy. So my message to business is clear, this is not about political correctness, this is about improving your profit margins."

Notes

1. The Women and Work Commission Report Shaping a Fairer Future was presented to the Prime Minister by Baroness Prosser on 27 February 2006.

2. The Commission propose a wealth of practical ideas on how to close the gender pay and opportunities gap. These are founded on a thorough analysis of all the available evidence. The Commission has described a complex problem which requires progress on a number of fronts.

3. The action plan builds on an extensive programme of work underway both before and after the Women and Work Commission reported in February 2006.

4. This is on-top of the raft of new rights already introduced by the Government including:

* Extending the period of paid maternity leave from 18 to 26 weeks.
* Giving all new fathers the right to two weeks paid paternity leave.
* All parents with children under six the right to require employers to seriously consider their requests to work flexibly.
* All parents the right to 13 weeks of additional unpaid leave during the first five years of their child's life.

5. It is estimated that increasing women's participation and enabling them to participate in better jobs could be worth between £15 billion and £23 billion a year to the UK economy.

6. Women working part-time also earn on average 38 per cent less than men working full-time.

7. Exemplar Employer Initiative case studies

20 of the exemplar employers are based in London with the rest spread across the UK including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The broad range of organisations include small and medium sized enterprises, universities, local authorities and emergency services. Examples of their schemes include:

* National Grid has a programme to improve the recruitment of women into the operational and engineering side of the business. This includes female graduate engineers talking to groups of school girls interested in a career in engineering and a behind the scenes day for girls at National Grid House.

* 65% of Tesco's workforce in stores is women. Each year they run academies for women identified as having the potential to progress into senior roles within the organisation. All managers in store (over 20,000) will receive diversity training in October. This training includes looking at barriers that women may face in developing into managerial positions at Tesco. Ruth Kelly today met the manager of Tesco Leystonstone - her first job for the company was as a part time check out worker at 17.

* Other examples include Microsoft's work on women's networks, Co-Op on equal pay, Mitie on woman and construction and Accenture on women returning to work.

The Government Action Plan: Implementing the Women and Work Commission recommendations can be downloaded from http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/pub...tionplan_sept06.pdf

Printed copies of the report and the executive summary can be obtained from the DCLG publication centre by calling 0870 1226 236 and quoting URN references 06/697 and 06/698 or you can email communities@twoten.com
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