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Some of the rights we’ve fought so hard for over 40 years will without a doubt disappear under the present government
Jenny Douglas Unite EC member
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those with abhorrent views a reason to believe they can act in public. This is because the trashing of the entire European project – the positive as well as the negative – has led some to think that the principles of equality that are part of the EU are no longer relevant to the UK.
In the months following the vote to leave, hate crimes against UK minority groups dramatically increased, with evidence indicating they have still not returned to pre-referendum levels. Community groups and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are also warning that a renewed wave of hate crimes could be unleashed once Article 50 is triggered.
Jenny said, “Against the LGBT
community alone there was a 147 per cent rise in hate crimes during July,
August and September last year. What’s more horrifying is that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. How many incidents are going unreported?”
Looking back, Jenny said the solidarity she discovered at her first union conference is as important now as it ever was.
“Unite’s LGBT committees fully cover all the industrial sectors. It doesn’t matter what job you’re in, there will be someone who is LGBT who works in your sector.
“For me a good trade unionist is somebody who plays a game of pass the parcel, but they don’t take off a layer, they put another layer of knowledge on and hand it to somebody else.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have those 25 uniteWORKS Spring 2017
sorts of people around me. Trade unions are like any other family; we have our differences but we stand together.”
Freedom
To celebrate 2017’s LGBT history month you can view Unite’s short film Freedom is a Beautiful Thing at
www.unitetheunion.org/ unite-at-work/equalities/
Visit
www.unitetheunion.org/ unite-at-work/equalities/ for more on Unite equalities
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