Women call for motions to go to Congress

Delegates to the TUC Women's Conference last month narrowly agreed that there should be provision for two motions from the conference to be placed directly on the Trades Union Congress agenda every year. This measure had been rejected by the Congress last year.

Speaking in favour of the motion, Jenni Borg of the FDA civil servants' union said that, although motions might be agreed unanimously at the Women's Conference, "they failed to achieve the critical mass in our unions to get these issues on the agenda".

The motion was opposed by the GMB general union, whose delegate Samanda Cavaney argued that the measure would "box off equality issues".

The TUC is currently considering options for changing the annual Congress, including whether the equalities conferences should be allowed to put motions directly to it. And the issue is likely to be raised at this month's TUC Black Workers Conference.