Campaigning award winner looks to the future
4th December 2012
Kate Hudson, CWU Women's Officer at South
Midlands Mail Centre (SMMC), is the proud winner of this year's
Midlands TUC award for campaigning.
Kate, who is also Assistant Regional Secretary, was rewarded for
the huge impact she has had, doing groundbreaking work for women in
her branch - and beyond.
Among the achievements she was praised for at the awards dinner in
Birmingham on 23 November, was the creation of a pack that helps
female reps be effective in their role and feel empowered to make a
real difference.
Kate said: "It can take so long to get to grips with the
processes of a union - with how it all works. The pack explains the
union's structure and useful things like how to put a motion
together and your role within the branch. Basically, it tells you
everything you need to know when you first become a women's
officer."
The information is now on a USB stick so that women in other
branches can customize it and use it as well. Kate added:
"I'm really happy to share it - it's not about me at
the end of the day. There's no point having it sitting in a
draw. This is my way of trying to help women make change happen in
the workplace and in the union.
Kate has also been instrumental in setting up a joint Women's
Committee at the mail centre. Again, it's about sharing
knowledge and empowering others.
Kate said: "When you're stepping through that door,
it's as a woman first and then as a union rep, manager or
member. It's a good way for everyone to understand what issues
women have to deal with in the workplace.
Part of the agreement is to have a CWU women's advisor on each
shift "It means that female members will have a chance to dip
their toe in and get a feel for what it is like to be a
representative by telling colleagues who to go to with an issue or
where to go for more information, without having to take on the
full role of a rep.
It's a joint committee and hopefully all at SMMC will benefit.
Kate has also helped make a real difference by introducing a RAM
(Reasonable Adjustments Made) card. The
card acts as a quick and easy way to convey
personal information without the need for a conversation.
"It's just the size of a credit card," explained
Kate, "and it might contain information about a disability or
rehab plan which may entitle the holder to restrictive practices or
more frequent breaks, for example. The member decides what is on
the card and then it's signed off. It's dignified and
simple for everyone involved."
Ultimately, Kate wants to see more women having influence in the
union. She said: "If I can help in a small way to change
things and get more women involved - more women standing in
elections and being reps - I'll be happy. Winning this award is
not about me - it's about all of us, and the women that come
after me."
Midlands Regional Secretary Lee Baron agrees:
"Kate has been a rep for about 15 years and in that time she
has achieved so much and helped many other women get involved.
"It was funny though," he continued "because I chair
the Midlands TUC and so I knew that Kate had won but I couldn't
tell her. I said, 'It's a big category, so don't worry,
just enjoy your night', but afterwards she joked that she was
really cross with me because if she'd known she was going to
win she would have made time to wash her hair!"
