FNV vice chair Kitty Roozemond
"The Netherlands Trade Union Confederation FNV is extremely happy to have you here.
The FNV is pleased and proud that this – till now – unique
international conference takes place in Amsterdam, next door to our
headquarters.
We like to think that this nearness is symbolic.
We rather consider this conference as an important step in the
international trade union policy making, organizing solidarity and
international cooperation of active trade unionists.
And: the credits for making this conference happen go entirely to the
active members from several unions here and abroad who dedicated most
of their time and much of their best abilities to bring us all together.
The international trade union movement is in the forefront of defending
human rights and trade union rights.
This fight must include a
commitment for equal rights, respect and dignity for homosexual and
lesbian workers.
However, we have to admit that it is still a long way to go before all
trade unions stand up with the same vigour for the rights of gay and
lesbian workers.
The FNV is the largest trade union confederation in this country, with
more then 1.2 million members, 26 % are women.
The FNV is committed to
use its influence within the ICFTU in order to get more attention and
support for homosexual and lesbian workers; more then it has done so
far.
As we stand here, we represent ourselves, our gay colleagues and our unions (or is the latter wishful thinking?).
We cannot fail to observe that not all regions are represented equally in our conference.
Eastern Europe and eastern Asia for example do not crowd these Aristo premises. Nor is there an equal participation of women.
We must consider how we and the international trade union confederation ICFTU can reach out to our colleagues.
The issues, that are discussed here today and the two days to come,
should be put on the agenda of the ICFTU, the WCL and the International
Trade Secretariats.
The conference should bring us further in discussing the strategy to
accomplish this.
Did the information about the conference reach our colleagues?
The majority is unaware of it.
And if it did, how many felt free to show interest in participation?
As for the FNV and as for myself : we are not only with you, I am one
of you.
Being homosexual should not be a problem.
Homosexuality in itself is
not the problem. The environment, society, religion, bosses, colleagues
and their values and prejudices too often are the problem.
Only "there
is always more environment than of yourself". (The environment always
exceeds the individual is what I mean.)
There are enormous differences in our positions in society and work in different countries and regions.
Harassment has many forms.
It is very depressing that gays face murder and death penalties in some countries. Or are put in prison.
We are all normal people but in many countries treated as outcasts and freaks.
Human rights are undermined, lives destroyed, personalities denied, qualities and talents wasted.
Any society or company for that matter that discriminates and excludes
homosexuals renders itself a bad service by wasting these qualities and
talents.
Compared to some other parts of the world, the situation in Western
Europe and maybe in the Netherlands in particular may appear or as an
oasis in a desert for homosexual and lesbian workers.
Comparitively speaking that is correct. The trade unions in my country
were and still are in the forefront of the struggle for equal treatment
and equal opportunities.
This fight led to a very reasonable Equality Act.
And the Dutch Constitution in its first article states that all
citizens who are in the same circumstances are to be treated equally.
The FNV has always lobbied with great intensity for positive legislation and was successful.
Also we lobby for more specific legal rights such as mandatory leave
and pension rights.
At present legislation does not make any difference
between married and unmarried couples anymore when it comes to
taxation, social security, state pension and leave for family reasons.
And note that in the Netherlands there is no difference between couples of
different sexes and couples of the same sex.
For the FNV this is progress, but not the whole story.
People should be treated as individuals with and in their own rights.
Breaking through the norm of heterosexuality means that rights are to
be attributed to individuals. An individual is not the same as half a
couple.
This is especially meaningful for income policies.
It is the trade union movement that succeeded in introducing equal
treatment in most supplementary pension schemes and extending leave
benefits to others than married couples.
Naturally, we assist and represent individual trade union members in
grievance procedures.
Some unions have special legal advisors for gay
workers.
Is all well then?
In the Netherlands we have now reached the point that we can
concentrate on improving the organisational culture at work places. The
climate in which people perform their job.
The space there is to contribute to the goal of your company or service in such a way that you can be who you are.
The most recent research (performed by ABVAKABO FNV) shows that there
is no systematic discrimination of gays at work. It is a Dutch only
survey conveying what we already sensed: all is not perfect.
Still, there is a difference.
Not in career perspectives, but in the
social support that workers feel. In the access to information. In
feeling appreciated. And in the number of days people have to report
sick ...
A striking feature in this research is that lesbian women score lowest
on the scale of well being at work.
The FNV is in the midst of a
campaign to improve the working environment.
Part of this campaign is improving the culture and climate at the work place and fighting mobbing and bullying.
Diversity helps building good teams.
Respect is a basis for individual
input and commitment.
Social support is the environment everybody needs
in order to be productive and contribute.
Black or white, man or woman, young or old, and yes, heterosexual or
homosexual: we all benefit when there is respect, dignity and equal
treatment.
In the unions, in society at large and certainly at the workplace.
A campaign for diversity and managing diversity would benefit both workers and management.
Codes of conduct are a good instrument to support that.
The workers deserve it and will benefit; the employers will gain from
it by higher productivity and an improving quality of the output.
It will bring us a win-win-situation that fits in perfectly with at least our type of labour relations.
But we still have to work on the commitment on the side of the central employers' organisations to get there.
We call on the employers' organisations to develop – together with us –
guidelines and a model code of conduct that can be used in all workplaces.
There is nothing to lose, we will all gain from it.
Speaking of central organisations : you might have the impression that
the FNV has an outspoken policy and lines of action on sexual
preference and work.
We do not.
Only the unions in the public and civil service, for education, police
and the armed forces have active groups and activities for homosexual
men and lesbians.
I am curious to learn during this conference about the situation in
sister confederations. And there is much more that we can exchange,
learn and plan during this conference.
Let's use this opportunity to enhance our commitment to human rights, trade union rights and therefore to "Trade unions, homosexuality and work"!"
