John HannettOne in five members of Usdaw is a woman aged 50 and over and so issues of how unions can best support and defend the interests of older women are very real for us, as for many other TUC affiliated unions.
The TUC’s recent survey of older women workers has generated a strong response from Usdaw members. It gave us the opportunity to find out more about the concerns of a section of our membership who have often been overlooked by policy makers and employers.
The work being done by the TUC and Labour Party on older women is a timely reminder that we must not forget older women workers. Unions need to show that we are in touch with the reality of older women’s daily lives. Working people see that unions have something to offer when we take up the issues that matter to them and their families. Travelling home from work late at night, women’s health issues, juggling work with caring and being treated with dignity and respect at work are all mainstream trade union issues that directly affect the lives of many older women.
