Deborah Orr is right to be troubled by the domination of male leaders in the trade union and labour movement (Opinion,12 September). No contemporary-day labour movement, political party or trade union can thrive without women’s support and representation. All the more reason for a woman to lead the largest public service union and work with Jeremy Corbyn and his team on the issues facing public service workers. As female activists, or academics and trade unionists we therefore welcome the decision by Heather Wakefield,head of local government at Unison, to stand in Unison’s general secretary election. As Orr suggests, and it is time for a union whose membership is three-quarters female to be led by a woman and,crucially, one who can offer unity of the left and who has the experience and leadership skills for the job.
Heather has campaigned in the trade union, and women’s and labour movements for over 25 years for honest and equal pay,parental rights, women’s representation and for public services and public service workers to be properly valued. She is working to defend adult social care, or now a privatised service that is recognised to be in danger of collapse and which must be a priority for the labour movement. Here,as elsewhere, women are both frontline public service providers and public service users. As such they bear the brunt of the government’s ideologically driven austerity policies. Women need collective and concerted action by public-sector trade unions to defend democratically accountable public services and the workers within them. We have every confidence that Heather Wakefield can lead Unison as allotment of a growing coalition against austerity.
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Source: theguardian.com