UNISON's membership is made up of individuals from all walks of life and all parts of the world. Every one of them is entitled to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. Westminster UNISON challenges discrimination and unfair treatment in the workplace wherever it arises.
UNISON is committed to achieving equality for all. One of the ways we promote equality is through self-organisation. Self-organisation brings together members from certain under represented groups - for example women members, black members, disabled members and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members. Self-organisation helps UNISON identify and challenge discrimination and build equality.
Self-organisation is members organising around their experience of prejudice and discrimination. Because prejudice and discrimination are deep-rooted in our society, women members, black members, disabled members and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members have traditionally been less visible in trade unions and under-represented in democratic structures. Self-organisation offers a way to address this.
It is sometimes thought that because the members of self-organised groups meet separately, self-organisation is separatism. It is not. UNISON's self-organised groups are a well-established part of our organisation. They are actively involved in all UNISON's mainstream work. They have a valuable role in ensuring that the union identifies and takes up equality issues, actively challenges discrimination and that our democratic structures reflect the whole membership.
