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Equalities Committee
The branch equalities officer is supported by a committee made up of reps from each stewards committee, branch officers and reps from the self organised groups. Ideally there would be self organised groups for Women, Lesbians and Gay Men, Disabled Members and Black Members, but currently only the first three have attracted enough interested activists.
The committee's role is to work in consultation with self organised groups to promote improvements in conditions for disadvantaged groups and to ensure equality is an issue considered in any negotiations. The equalities officer is a member of the service conditions team.
Self organised groups exist as parallel but integral parts of the branch, where self-identified structurally disadvantaged groups can, as the title says, self organise to promote equality of opportunity both in the workplace and within the branch structures.
Significant achievements recently, in conjunction with the service conditions team, have been City of Edinburgh Council agreements on equal employment opportunities and recruitment and selection, which outlaw discrimination on grounds of gender, sexuality, disability, age, religion, marital status, responsibility for dependants etc. Also recently negotiated are agreements on leave for family care purposes and improvements to maternity leave.
Many of these agreements also apply to the 1,000 members who work for related bodies.