Union women
Two women changing the face of trade unions in the UK and in Kenya
What happens when women head up workers' unions? Joanna Impey brings together two powerful women in charge of the rights of millions of workers in the UK and Kenya. They talk about how they're trying to tackle the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace and how they're trying to make unions more relevant to younger women.
Born to a family of union organisers in Oxford, Frances O'Grady is the first female General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress. With nearly six million members, the TUC is the largest democratic member organisation in the UK. She is also a single mother who says she is committed to the interests of the working women who make up over half of the TUC’s membership.
Rose Omamo is the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers. She trained as a mechanic and worked as an assembler but as one of only two women working with 300 men she realised the only way to defend her rights was to stand as a shop steward. Known as 'Mama Union,' the members of her organisation are still 90% male.
Image:
L - Frances O'Grady Credit: Jess Hurd
R - Rose Omamo Credit: Victor Mogoa
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The 'Mama Union' of Kenya
Duration: 02:16
Broadcasts
- Mon 3 Jun 2019 02:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Online, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 3 Jun 2019 03:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service UK DAB/Freeview
- Mon 3 Jun 2019 04:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
- Mon 3 Jun 2019 10:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except West and Central Africa
- Mon 3 Jun 2019 17:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia
- Mon 3 Jun 2019 21:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Europe and the Middle East
- Mon 3 Jun 2019 22:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Europe and the Middle East
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