MESSAGE FROM THE RANK & FILE WOMEN EXECUTIVE - 17 March 2021
It is fundamental during any election campaign that those vying for success be afforded the opportunity to engage in open and respectful debate and dialogue. There are times however when the narrative of that debate shifts and in that moment, those responsible must be held to account. We, the WOMEN of The Rank & File, have reached that point today.
We will not sit quietly and allow the rallying cry of a protest movement so important to WOMEN and GIRLS be misappropriated for the purposes of influencing electoral outcomes.
We will not sit quietly and allow our opponents to continue their baseless assertions that we are powerless, voiceless, puppets of men.
And we will most certainly not sit quietly and allow the character assassination of the great men we stand beside to continue unchecked.
We strongly, loudly and powerfully reject the attempts of the so called ‘Member’s Coalition’ to divide our great union on gender lines. We are more than that. We are better than that. We all choose to challenge that.
As WOMEN we know how pervasive gender discrimination is in our society. So too do the men we proudly stand beside in this election. That is what makes us UNION. Understanding, empathy and a burning desire for social justice and equality.
Stewart Little and Troy Wright have supported us, empowered us and promoted us as leaders in our great union. Through their leadership we have advanced the rights of WOMEN members in countless ways such as:
• Successfully prosecuting one of the most significant pay equity cases in Australian history.
• Supporting two incredibly brave delegates in their campaign for access for all Australian workers to leave provisions in the event of stillbirth.
• Commencing a partnership with The Gidget Foundation to offer support to members experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety.
• Negotiating new workplace agreements to assist those who are experiencing domestic violence
• Asking WOMEN ‘WHAT WOMEN WANT’ in a survey with 5,000 WOMEN participating and giving the union most valuable knowledge to help all WOMEN.
We are a diverse union and we will always do everything in our power to respect and promote the interests of all members.
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