Female members of the ITGWU call for positive discrimination and oppose job sharing.
For the first time, the Irish Transport and General Workers Union held a women's consultative conference at Liberty Hall in Dublin. The conference was attended by about 70 delegates. A motion was carried calling on the ITGWU national executive council to oppose attempts to introduce job sharing. It was felt that job sharing would result in a reduction in take-home pay and a deterioration in working conditions.
The conference was observed by members of the executive council which is almost entirely male.
The executive council has just one woman member and delegates at the conference believe that there should be a policy of positive discrimination in the form of reserved elected seats for women.
Mary O'Brien says that reserved elected seats for women are extremely important. She also wants to see greater acceptance that women are and can be trade union officials. Delegates at the conference also highlighted the fact that the ITGWU banner depicted two men, something which the women's affairs committee promised would be changed for next year's conference.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 30 October 1983. The reporter is Michelle McCaughren.
