GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes
so that this could be spoken about by everybody to everyone and within this
open forum the stigma hanging over our heads and small suitable adjustments
to the workplace, quiet places so that we can go and reflect and take our time
to do so, it is not much to ask, it really is not. We are not asking for the world,
we are just asking for that small portion. With so many being affected, please,
think about your female colleagues, your sisters, your wives and all of those
that will be affected by this and please support our motion. I move. (Applause)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Keeley, and I should say that Keeley is
also stepping down from the EC at the moment and let us hope we see you
again in GFTU committees soon. Can I have a seconder for that motion,
please.
BRO JOE SIMPSON (POA): Chair, brothers and sisters, Joe Simpson, Deputy
General Secretary of the POA. I am absolutely delighted to second this
motion, because this is something that the POA have been asking the Prison
Service for for the last five years. Our colleagues, or the best part of our
colleagues, have to do a fitness test and because of the way that the Prison
Service recruit, we get a lot of prison officers who are of the age of the
menopause and have to do a fitness test. We have asked the Prison Service
every year to allow our sisters who have to do the fitness test who are going
through the menopause to be given a pass for that year, because when they go
along to do the fitness test, their blood pressure is taken and their heart rate is
taken, but whenever anybody goes for a fitness test anywhere your heart rate
and your blood pressure is a little bit elevated anyway, because you are
worried, because if you fail it, you come under the inefficiency route out of the
job. You only get three chances to pass it. If the blood pressure is higher than
what they believe it should be for you to do the fitness test, that is classed as a
fail.
So we are absolutely delighted that this has come along and we commend you
for bringing it as well. At the last meeting that I went to there was myself and
Terry Fullerton, two men, and across from the table from the Prison Service
were three women and they never budged, not once. They put everything in
189
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online