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As part of our campaign to change the way the menopause is treated in the workplace, the Wales TUC yesterday launched new campaign resources including workplace posters and leaflets.

Last year, the Wales TUC published a report The Menopause - a workplace issue based on a major survey of almost 4000 workers. 

The survey found that 88 per cent of women workers who had experienced the menopause felt it had an effect on working life, while around 6 in 10 had witness the issue being treated as a joke in the workplace. The survey also showed that only a very small number of workplace had policies in place to support women who experience difficulties during the menopause, and in some cases health and safety issues in the workplace caused women's symptoms to worsen. 

The survey showed that many women wanted to see a change in the way the issue is treated at work, and as a result the Wales TUC put together a series of campaign asks of the Welsh and UK governments.

We have also developed The menopause: a workplace issue - a toolkit for trade unionists to help reps press employers to make improvements in the workplace. The toolkit covers essential information about the menopause, looks at some of the common workplace issues and considers why the menopause is a key workplace health and safety and equality issue for trade unionists.  It offers practical tools for trade union reps including examples of workplace adjustments, ideas for action, surveys and mapping, a gender sensitive health and safety checklist,  an example workplace policy and example risk assessment. The toolkit is available in English and Welsh.

To support reps taking forward the campaign, we now have new bilingual posters and postcards available for reps to use in the workplace to help raise awareness and campaign to change the way the menopause is treated in the workplace.

Hard copies of the toolkit, posters and postcards are available to order from the Wales TUC - email wtuceducation@tuc.org.uk or tel 029 2034 7010.

We have also developed a short online interactive learning tool (eNote) on the menopause which takes around 20 minutes to complete and is available at www.tuceducation.org.uk.

For reps living or working in Wales, a 2-day classroom course for union reps is available:

Menopause in the workplace course for union reps

This two-day course has been designed for trade union reps and aims to create greater awareness of the menopause as a workplace issue. The course is for all union reps and aims to:

• Create awareness of the menopause and the symptoms women can experience
• Help reps consider various workplace factors that may negatively impact on workers experiencing the menopause
• Consider practices and environments with the workplace that may put the health and safety of menopausal women at risk and/or may be considered discrimination against workers experiencing the menopause
• Consider best practice for workplaces and unions to tackle the workplace issues facing workers experiencing the menopause.

Course dates 2018/19:

• Bangor - 2 Thursdays from 6th September 2018
• Wrexham - 2 Thursdays from 6th September 2018
• Maesteg - 2 Fridays from 5th October 2018
• Cardiff – 2 Mondays from 14th January 2019

Contact wtuceducation@tuc.org.uk or tel 029 2034 7010 for more information about the course.