Seeking equity for LGBTs

The 1st International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Forum has developed the Education International and Public Services International Declaration, which seeks equity.

In 2002, as part of the Gay Games, there was an international conference for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex trade unionists called Workers Out. This very successful conference identified the need for the fight against discrimination against LGBT and intersex members to be an urgent priority for trade unions at an international level. As a starting point Education International and Public Service International took up the recommendation of Workers Out and held a forum in Porto Alegre as a lead up to the Education International World Congress.

More than 100 delegates from more than 20 countries met for three days at the forum to discuss global problems and how to deal with them. Papers and sessions were delivered by presenters from Brazil, North America, Britain, Italy, New Zealand, The Netherlands and Australia. Delegates were treated to work being done by local groups in Porto Alegre against great odds. The declaration was carried unanimously and will go to both the Education International and Public Services International executives for discussion and implementation. Hopefully the challenge will also be taken up by the other eight international trade union organisations. Naturally the forum also helped an exchange of ideas and new networks.

In the declaration participants of the forum requested that Education International and Public Services International make recommendations to several bodies:

To the International Labor Organisation:

• to refer explicitly to discrimination at work based on sexual orientation or gender identity in their programs and action plans, particularly in the follow up action plan to the Global Report on Discrimination adopted by the November 2003 Governing Body;
• to develop and disseminate guidelines related to the elimination of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, and information about best practices;
• to provide technical support to the social partners (governments, employers and workers) to evaluate employment and workplace practices in order to detect and eliminate discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, including in the education system, and in the provision of public services;
• to compile a Conditions of Work Digest focusing on best practices related to promoting labour and trade union rights of lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual workers;
• to endorse its code on HIV/AIDS, containing fundamental principles for policy development and practical guidelines and for all trade unions to implement this code. To UNESCO and Education for All programs:
• to include in their materials and training tools, themes and issues related to sexual diversity, the cultural, social and historical roots of discrimination, and to make recommendations on ways to eradicate all form of discriminatory practices. To UNAIDS:
• to develop programs that are diverse, and contain non-discriminatory references to human sexuality and gender; and to address their linkages to poverty. To non governmental organisations:
• to work on specific actions and campaigns to remove all obstacles to the full enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of all peoples;
• to document discrimination at the workplace and coordinate joint actions with trade unions at national, regional and international level;
• to exchange information, analyses and best practice with trade unions so as to improve the quality and impact of the work against all forms of discrimination. To governments
• to promote, protect and enforce respect for existing standards for the promotion of human rights and non-discrimination on any ground;
• to amend national legislation in order to eradicate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status including laws that penalise same-sex relations; and to eradicate exemption provisions, for example for religious organisations;
• to afford same-sex relationships the full protection of the law in the areas of pension and inheritance rights, adoption rights, taxation, access to housing, health services, and to take the necessary steps to recognise the diversity of family relationships including ending discriminatory legislation, policies and practices in all fields where this currently exists;
• to ensure the widest and earliest possible access to quality public education, free of prejudice and to empower people, especially women and girls, to make their own choices;
• to ensure that sex education and health care materials, campaigns and services include information relating to lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their needs;
• to eliminate all discriminatory practices related to people living with HIV/AIDS, especially at the workplace, including arbitrary dismissal or transfer. Education International and Public Services International The forum requested that Education International and Public Services International:
• reaffirm the unequivocal commitment of Education International and Public Services International and their member organisations to provide full support for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers;
• request the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions to establish a LGBT workers' network and to develop programs to work on sexual orientation and gender identity issues;
• develop an action plan aimed at cooperation with other world trade union confederations to work on the protection of LGBT workers against discrimination;
• submit a test case to the ILO regarding the application of ILO Convention 111 to the rights of LGBT workers;
• adopt and implement resolutions on LGBT rights and to encourage member organisations to adopt and implement similar resolutions;
• explicitly deal with the issues of sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination as they relate to women in the Education International and Public Services International women structures;
• develop capacity building programs and training materials, specially aimed to help member organisations to develop new capacities on LGBT issues;
• organise staff training sessions on diversity, including sexual orientation and gender identity, so as to develop strategies and tools to evaluate progress on anti-discrimination issues;
• establish a web based data base and information service to exchange information on relevant cases, policies, legislation, news from affiliates, best practices;
• encourage member organisations to adopt policies and mechanisms to detect and eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to mainstream related issues into the collective bargaining agenda;
• encourage member organisations to establish LGBT workers advisory structures;
• review and extend existing equality programs to sexual orientation and gender identity issues;
• take up campaigns in cases of human rights violations, for example murder, imprisonment of LGBT activists;
• take up campaigns against bullying and violence against LGBT youth and to prevent youth suicides;
• provide regular reports to their respective Executive Boards on affiliates progress in establishing these advisory structures.

  Member organisations

  Forum participants requested that Education International and Public Services International encourage their member organisations:
  • to promote human and trade union rights education that raises awareness of issues related to discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity;
  • to adopt policies and mechanisms to detect and eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity both within their own structures and at the work place; and to mainstream LGBT issues into collective bargaining;
  • to establish LGBT workers advisory structures;
  • to work with local governments and employer organisations to promote changes in attitudes relating to any forms of discrimination, including sexual orientation and gender identity;
  • to establish networks with existing human rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organisations to promote and protect the human and labour rights of all person at the workplace regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity;
  • to ensure that in the development of policies on HIV/AIDS in the workplace that the rights of affected LGBT workers are protected.

  Frank Barnes addresses the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Forum.

  
  

  For further information

  Contact	:	NSW Teachers Federation
  Phone	:	02 9217 2100
  Fax	:	02 9217 2470
  Email	:	mail@nswtf.org.au
  WWW	:	http://www.nswtf.org.au

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  September 2004 contents