The conference took place in Glenrothes on Monday 31 October and Tuesday 1 November, starting with a conference social event organised by Aegis. Our DGS Fiona chaired the conference as this year’s STUC Women’s Committee Chair, following a very active and fruitful year leading the Committee and its programme.
Following Fiona’s opening address to the conference, our Union Learning PM Maria delivered the speech for Vote of Thanks to the Chair.
On the second day of the conference, our rep Katy Powell presented the motion on menstrual health in the workplace, calling for recognition of various menstrual conditions affecting workers and introduction of menstrual policies in the workplace to support the impacted women and reduce the stigma around menstrual conditions.
The motion in summary:
“…50% of the population experience menstruation and menopause. These are both natural processes, yet this aspect of health is often seen as a taboo subject–particularly in the workplace. We welcome the work that the STUC Women’s Committee have done to raise awareness of the menopause as a workplace issue, and we believe this should be extended to menstrual disorders too. A recent UK survey by period charity Bloody Good Period found that 73% of participants struggled at work during their period. There are many menstrual disorders that could contribute to this: endometriosis, polycystic ovary disorder, pre-menstrual syndrome, cervical and endometrial polyps, and uterine fibroids to name but a few.
Menstrual health forms an integral part of wellbeing for those who experience it. Employees often feel anxious about whether they’ll be able to cope during a workday when they’re experiencing pain or discomfort from a menstrual disorder. However, many don’t feel confident discussing with their employer due to the stigma attached to it in the workplace. This needs to be tackled.
Conference calls on the STUC Women’s Committee to:
- work with affiliates to introduce Menstrual Policies into the workplace
- campaign for better healthcare information and support for employees experiencing menstrual disorders, including the introduction of menstrual leave for those that need it, and
- work with employers to introduce training for managers and reps on the impact of menstrual disorders and the reasonable adjustments that employers can take.
This not only benefits the workers, but the employers as a whole.”
