Many observers at last weekend’s Scottish Labour conference remain stunned by what they witnessed. Three of Scotland’s biggest trade unions, who boast of their adherence to fairness and equality, voted against a motion on women’s rights. The brothers, aided by their sisters, used their political muscle – the much-derided block vote – to reject a statement of solidarity with all women.

In a move that defies belief or logic, the GMB, Unite and Unison could not bring themselves to vote in favour of a motion that urged them “to acknowledge the principle of women’s sex-based rights, as well as those conferred upon them by other protected characteristics”.

Indeed, lines such as this “conference celebrates the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, enacted by the last Labour Government” proved to be too controversial.

Traditionally male-dominated trade unions may be now more diverse but it would appear old attitudes towards women die hard if a vote at the Scottish Labour conference is anything to go by, writes Susan Dalgety. (Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

They decided they could not support a call for the labour movement to stamp out violence, exploitation and discrimination against women and girls. And, shamefully, they could not even agree that Scottish Labour should end inequality and protect women and girls from violence, discrimination, and exploitation.

As a spokeswoman for Labour Women’s Declaration Scotland – a pressure group within the party – later said: “The sight of a sea of men’s hands voting against the motion from women’s conference was chilling. Scottish Labour and the trade unions involved need a long hard look at themselves.”

The trade unions refused to explain why they had turned their back on their women members, with only Unison Scotland willing to answer press queries. “It [the motion] goes against agreed policy,” was its ridiculous response. The logic of its argument is this: a trade union, whose membership is overwhelmingly female, does not support the 2010 Equality Act, or believe that women should be protected from sexual violence or exploitation. Welcome to the sorry state of political discourse in Scotland 2024.

A handful of young women on the left of Scottish Labour rushed to defend the trade unions. Lauren Harper, a youth representative on Labour’s Scottish Executive Committee, declared the motion bigoted and tried to paint it as an attack on trans people – despite there being no mention of them in the motion. “It’s a form of hegemony to keep the two groups [trans people and women] from realising their true enemy of their rights, the capitalist class.” At the risk of patronising Ms Harper, may I suggest she still has a lot to learn about the world, and the labour movement in particular?

It took a former leader of Scottish Labour and long-time feminist to spell out what had really happened. Following the vote, Johann Lamont posted on social media that she was struck by men – who have no need of women’s rights, no cause to fret about male violence against women – preening themselves for their ‘courage’ in voting to diminish women’s rights. “Their sexist forebears would be proud,” she said.

Right on sister. Young activists, and their elders who should know better, may try to argue that the women who crafted the motion are bigoted against trans people, but the reality is that many men in the trade union movement still do not accept women as their equal.

Unison and Unite may be led by two redoubtable women, Christina McAnea and Sharon Graham, but they are both products of a trade union movement which clings on to the old ways. An independent QC’s inquiry into the culture of the GMB union in 2020 found that bullying, misogyny, cronyism and sexual harassment were endemic within the union. “The culture in the GMB is one of heavy drinking and late-night socialising, salacious gossip and a lack of professionalism,” the report said.

And two years ago, Helena Kennedy QC led an inquiry into sexual abuse allegations at the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union. She reported that there was a “concentration of absolute power in a very small number of hands, with little or no scrutiny” and a “series of appalling incidents, alongside leadership and management failings.”

She uncovered evidence of “inappropriate and sexual touching, sexual assault, coercive and manipulative behaviour, violent and disrespectful language, humiliation and denigration of members of staff, reps and members of the Executive Committee.”

And the sexism that still pervades much of the trade union movement means that its female members suffer in other ways too. In the aftermath of the vote last weekend, former senior Unison official, Mark Irvine, took to social media to remind everyone that Unison had to be “shamed” into standing up for its low paid women members on equal pay. “In South Lanarkshire and Glasgow councils, for example, the union sided with the employers and actively encouraged members from pursing equal pay claims for years.”

A deep seam of sexism has run through the trade union movement since it first emerged in the wake of the industrial revolution. It reflected the work of work – women stayed at home while men toiled in factories and down mines. Even during the Word War Two, when every adult was needed in the war effort, trade unions argued against women working in munition factories and elsewhere.

The profile of trade union members may have changed in recent years – from horny-handed sons of toil to women working in the health and service sectors – but it seems old habits die hard. On last weekend’s evidence, Scotland’s trade unions still do not understand – nor care about – the material concerns of women.

But their stance may well have backfired on them. In the wake of the vote, the Labour Women’s Declaration stall at the conference was inundated by party members and visitors, shocked that a motion on women’s rights had been defeated by the brute force of the three biggest trade unions. The comrades may have won a battle, but they will not win the war against women, no matter how dirty they fight.

Old attitudes of male trade unionists against women appear to die hard