A. INTRODUCTORY

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The Union shall seek to ensure that discriminatory acts are not committed against any persons by the Union, or by its organs, members, or officers, on grounds such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, age, creed or social class.

B AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1. AT WORK AND IN THE COMMUNITY

To seek to ensure equality of treatment and fair representation for all members and to work for the elimination of discrimination on grounds of race, gender, sexuality, disability, age or creed.

To seek to protect the rights of all members to be treated with dignity and respect irrespective of race, gender, sexuality, disability, age or creed.

To work to achieve equal access to public services for all and to ensure that all users of public services are treated with dignity and respect, irrespective of race, gender, sexuality, disability, age or creed.

To promote greater employee, consumer and user involvement and representation in the delivery of public services, irrespective of race, gender, sexuality, disability, age or creed.

2. UNION DEMOCRACY

To promote and establish a member-led union and to carry out and fulfil decisions made by members in a spirit of unity and accountability.

To promote fair representation in all the Union's structures for women, members of all grades, black members, members with disabilities and lesbians and gay men.

To promote and safeguard the rights of members to have an adequate opportunity to participate in the initiation and development of policy making, through meetings, conferences, delegations or ballots, and to encourage the maximum democratic debate, together with the right to campaign to change policy, while at all times acting within the rules and agreed policy.

3 SERVICE TO MEMBERS

2. To provide information and publications about the Union and its work on a regular basis and in language and design that can easily be understood, including languages other than English where appropriate.

D. STRUCTURE OF THE UNION AT NATIONAL LEVEL

SELF-ORGANISED GROUPS

The Union shall promote opportunities for the following groups to organise activities to meet the purposes set out below:

.1 women members

.2 black members

.3 members with disabilities

.4 lesbian and gay members

The purposes of self-organisation shall be, within the framework of the Rules of the Union, to enable the members within these groups to:

.1 meet to share concerns and aspirations, and establish their own priorities

.2 elect their own representatives to other levels of self-organisation and to other appropriate levels of the Union's organisation

.3 have adequate and agreed funding and other resources, including education and training, access, publicity and communications

.4 work within a flexible structure to build confidence and encourage participation and provide opportunities for the fuller involvement of disadvantaged members

.5 work within the established policies, rules and constitutional provisions of the Union

To further these purposes:

.1 The National Executive Council shall provide guidelines setting out the basis for operation of the self-organised groups and their representation, which guidelines shall include

the procedure by which the existence of particular groups may be recognised at branch, regional or national level

provision for a recognised group to receive finding at the appropriate level

Where such recognised groups exist at branch level:

.1 they may elect representatives to the branch committee in accordance with branch rules

.2 they may formulate proposals, motions and other initiatives for branch meetings or the branch committee

.3 reports on their activities shall be included in the annual report of the branch

.4 the branch shall give them financial support within the Union's guidelines

Where such recognised groups exist at regional level:

.1 a regional committee for each group may be created, consisting of representatives of each relevant group at branch level, and the regional women's committee shall also include women members of the Regional Committee

.2 a regional group may formulate proposals, motions or other initiatives to the Regional Council or Regional Committee

.3 a regional group shall be represented on the Regional Committee by a representative with full voting rights

.4 a regional group shall appoint one or more delegates to the Regional Council as may be approved by the National Executive Council

.5 a report on a regional group's activities shall be made to the annual meeting of the Regional Council

.6 the Regional Council shall give a regional group financial support within the Union's guidelines
Over

Where such a recognised group exists at national level:

.1 the group may establish a national committee, as well as a national conference or national meeting of representatives from branch and regional groups

.2 a group's national committee shall consist of no more than two representatives per region, except where the distribution of members merits an additional representative

.3 the National Executive Council shall have the right to send women members of the National Executive Council to the national women's committee and conference

.4 a national committee or national conference may send motions, proposals or initiatives to the National Executive Council

.5 the group may, subject to the Union's rules, send delegates and motions to the National Delegate Conference and to each Service Group's National Conference

.6 the group shall provide an annual report of its activities to its Conference and the National Executive Council

.7 the National Executive Council shall give a national group financial support within the Union's guidelines

4.7 The arrangements for self-organisation shall be regularly reviewed by the National Executive Council in consultation with the group concerned. In particular, the National Executive Council shall seek to promote the involvement of members and representatives of the groups in the activities of the Union, in the light of the principles of fair representation and proportionality.