Diana Holland chairs the Women’s Committee at the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and represents Unite, Britain’s largest trade union. The ITUC adopted a 2009 resolution urging member organizations in 156 countries to join in stopping violence against women. In June 2010, its annual Congress agreed on a programme of action to help achieve gender equality in workplaces and societies at large.

Holland spoke with Say NO after the Congress on the roles that unions can play in ending violence against women — and their growing interest in taking action.

Why should trade unions be involved in stopping violence against women?

First, because a high proportion of trade union members are women. Second, because trade unions oppose violence in general in the workplace and wider community. Unions can support women in ways that are sometimes not possible in families and local communities. In some workplaces, for example, where unions have negotiated agreements to assist survivors of domestic abuse, women have felt able to come forward and seek support.

It is really important not to underestimate the need to raise awareness on the issue of violence against women. That’s come over to me from a lot of women; they want people to know the truth about it. And they want any woman suffering from it not to feel that she’s alone. Unions have an essential part in that, and the responsibility to make sure that all union reps or officers representing workers understand the issues so they can take them up. Union education is part of turning policies into practice, so we are not just committing ourselves to statements, but doing something about them.

This is not a conventional trade union issue. How do unions react when you advocate through the ITUC that they get involved in it?

I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support. At this year’s ITUC Congress, when we debated a resolution on gender equality, we had a special session on the Say NO campaign. We distributed cards for everyone to sign up, men and women, and people were on their feet raising their postcards in the air. They identified violence against women as an issue that is particularly important to go home and act on in their countries and unions.

Trade unions have become part of actions to stop violence against women in a way that was not the case a few years ago. In recent years, information about the extent and extremes of violence against women has made the issue much more stark for people, particularly for men. People want to be part of stopping that.

One concern I have, however, is that the current economic situation means there are pressures to discriminate against and divide workers. My fear is that we risk losing a positive agenda and the gains we’ve made if we have to oppose too much and retreat too far in a negative direction.

What actions to end violence have been taken at your own union, Unite?

We’ve signed up to be part of Say NO activities on the 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and we’ve had campaigns around trafficking and better treatment of domestic workers. This year, we will update our domestic abuse and violence policy and get it out to all our union representatives to say why don’t you try to negotiate policies in your own workplace. Being part of what the ITUC is doing makes us feel part of something bigger.

What kinds of responsibilities should all workers and employers have in stopping violence against women?

An absolute basic starting point is a commitment to a safe and fair workplace that is free from violence against women. In dealing with violence that happens outside work, the workplace should be a place of sanctuary, not a place where people suffer further. So if someone needs to leave home and relocate to escape domestic violence, for example, she should not be penalized for taking time off. Management and unions can offer training on properly supporting people. Where this has happened, it has made a huge difference in people’s lives.

What are next steps at the ITUC?

We are intensifying our Decent Work for Decent Life for Women Campaign, an essential part of which is action on violence against women. Having passed a specific resolution on violence that condemns a number of types of violence, we will look for tangible examples of how we can link up with women on these.

Internationally, unions can have a loud campaigning voice, including on types of violence that are not as well known, such as against domestic workers. The vast majority of them are women and they are very poorly protected. We are strongly advocating for an ILO convention and recommendation on domestic workers to be agreed at next year's Conference. It will offer protections and be a really important step, creating an absolute floor beneath which no one should fall.

Related action

• ITUC Adopts Resolution on Gender Equality and Signs on to Say NO

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