Agenda item

6.1

It was moved by Councillor Jayne Dunn, and seconded by Councillor Julie Grocutt, that this Council:-

(a)      notes there are more than 13 million women currently experiencing menopause or perimenopause in the UK; and that menopause campaigners argue that medical sexism and a lack of training means many women are left to suffer the symptoms of menopause;

(b)      recognises that menopause is a society and family issue, not just a women’s issue;

(c)      notes that women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing segment of the workforce, and most will go through the menopause transition during their working lives, and many won’t be able to meet their full potential at work unless they get the right support from their employer;

(d)      believes the UK could be losing 14 million workdays a year related to the menopause, according to recent research by Censuswide, with one in four women who experience menopausal symptoms, many at the top of their career, considering leaving their job;

(e)      reaffirms the Council has a legal duty to ensure that employees do not face discrimination;

(f)       believes employers who support women through the menopause will reap the benefits in terms of increased engagement and loyalty, as well as lower sickness absence and employee turnover;

(g)      believes fostering age and gender inclusive workplaces can help the Council to tap into the valuable skills and talent this fast-growing segment of the workforce has to offer;

(h)      believes this is an important issue that the Council has a role in addressing and that its currently getting worse due to the cost-of-living crisis;

(i)       recognises that women are a significant element in the City’s economy and are vital to helping families through the cost-of-living crisis, but cannot if they are too ill to work;

(j)       notes removing barriers to progression for women could help the Council close its gender pay gap, and believes supporting women through menopause will help mitigate ageism in the workplace;

(k)      recognises the valuable contribution of Carolyn Harris MP (co-chair of the Menopause Task Force), the GMB, Unite, USDAW, Community Union and others who lead the way on this issue;

(l)       believes the Government is failing to ensure the country is period poverty free by 2025;

(m)     notes with alarm that amidst the worst cost of living crisis in 40 years, a poll of 1,000 UK girls aged 14-21 reveals over 1 in 4 are struggling to afford period products and nearly 1 in 5 report being unable to afford them;

(n)      believes, as a result, period poverty is a serious issue for women in the city which disproportionately affects groups who already face barriers accessing support, including ethnic minority groups, refugees and asylum seekers, people with disability, young carers and young people in care, creating indignity and a significant mental health burden through stigma;

(o)      recognises that period poverty goes hand in hand with food poverty and cuts across different policy areas, requiring a holistic, cross cutting commitment and intervention;

(p)      notes that the Labour Party’s work on religious and sex education in schools has moved us further along in terms of awareness, but proposes more needs to be done; and

(q)      calls on the Chief Executive to report to the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee, within the next three months, on plans to incorporate the GMB Menopause Smash the Stigma Workplace Policy, including the following:-

(i)       preventing women being disadvantaged at work because of their symptoms and because of the stigma of discussing menopause at work;

(ii)       adopting a supportive workplace model which includes manager and staff training on issues around menopause, including through the GMB, to all members of staff in work time over a 12-month period;

(iii)      adopting a more progressive and inclusive approach to supporting those who experience menopause;

(iv)      to make Sheffield a period aware city, looking at how period poverty, shame and inequality can be addressed across the Council’s areas of work and developing a "Period Equality Charter” outlining what this means for different policy areas;

(v)      looking at period poverty as part of the cost-of-living crisis, exploring ways to supply free period products, calling on schools to join the Government’s free period products scheme and promote the scheme to pupils;

(vi)      exploring what efforts the Council may be able to undertake to support and coordinate existing efforts and donations of period products to increase their impact and integrating efforts into the cost of living response;

(vii)     calling on the Government to fund provision of free period products in all public buildings;

(viii)    consider adopting a relevant HR policy as a council, e.g. menstrual leave policy, and to encourage other local businesses and organisations to make the same commitments; and

(ix)      ensuring that at future corporate-level collective bargaining negotiations, provisions are made to accept and integrate the recommendations of the GMB Smash the Stigma Workplace Policy into Council policy and procedures.

6.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Marieanne Elliot, and seconded by Councillor Maroof Raouf, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the addition of new paragraphs (q) to (u) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraph (q) as a new paragraph (v):-

(q)      notes that period poverty is a particular problem in the asylum system, for those who receive under £40 a week in state support (Bloody Good Period/Women for Refugee Women, 2019);

(r)       notes that under the Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill, the Scottish Government has set up a Scotland-wide scheme to allow anyone who needs period products to get them free of charge, and gives the Scottish Government the power to make public bodies including schools, colleges and universities, provide period products for free (Scottish Parliament, 2021);

(s)      notes that as part of the Welsh Government’s Period Dignity Strategic Action Plan, funding has been provided to local authorities and Further Education institutions to ensure that period products can be accessed free of charge by learners in schools, Further Education institutions and to those in need in communities (Welsh Government, 2021);

(t)       believes that everyone who requires period products should be able to access them for free;

(u)      believes that a person’s period should not prevent them from succeeding in life;

2.       the addition of a new paragraph (w) as follows:- 

(w)      also calls on the Chief Executive to report to the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee, within the next three months, to:-

(i)       examine the feasibility of providing free period products in public toilets and other public buildings, including the Town Hall and community centres, including exploring whether any free disposable or reusable period products provided by the Council can be sustainably sourced;

(ii)       publicise the provision of free period products and reusable period products, such as moon cups, through Council communication channels; and

(iii)      write to the Minister for Women and Equalities, calling on the UK government to make period products free and available to all who need them across England, as has been done in Scotland and Wales.

6.3

After contributions from four other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Jayne Dunn, the amendment moved by Councillor Marieanne Elliot was put to the vote and was carried unanimously.

6.4

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried unanimously:-

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That this Council:-

(a)      notes there are more than 13 million women currently experiencing menopause or perimenopause in the UK; and that menopause campaigners argue that medical sexism and a lack of training means many women are left to suffer the symptoms of menopause;

(b)      recognises that menopause is a society and family issue, not just a women’s issue;

(c)      notes that women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing segment of the workforce, and most will go through the menopause transition during their working lives, and many won’t be able to meet their full potential at work unless they get the right support from their employer;

(d)      believes the UK could be losing 14 million workdays a year related to the menopause, according to recent research by Censuswide, with one in four women who experience menopausal symptoms, many at the top of their career, considering leaving their job;

(e)      reaffirms the Council has a legal duty to ensure that employees do not face discrimination;

(f)       believes employers who support women through the menopause will reap the benefits in terms of increased engagement and loyalty, as well as lower sickness absence and employee turnover;

(g)      believes fostering age and gender inclusive workplaces can help the Council to tap into the valuable skills and talent this fast-growing segment of the workforce has to offer;

(h)      believes this is an important issue that the Council has a role in addressing and that its currently getting worse due to the cost-of-living crisis;

(i)       recognises that women are a significant element in the City’s economy and are vital to helping families through the cost-of-living crisis, but cannot if they are too ill to work;

(j)       notes removing barriers to progression for women could help the Council close its gender pay gap, and believes supporting women through menopause will help mitigate ageism in the workplace;

(k)      recognises the valuable contribution of Carolyn Harris MP (co-chair of the Menopause Task Force), the GMB, Unite, USDAW, Community Union and others who lead the way on this issue;

(l)       believes the Government is failing to ensure the country is period poverty free by 2025;

(m)     notes with alarm that amidst the worst cost of living crisis in 40 years, a poll of 1,000 UK girls aged 14-21 reveals over 1 in 4 are struggling to afford period products and nearly 1 in 5 report being unable to afford them;

(n)      believes, as a result, period poverty is a serious issue for women in the city which disproportionately affects groups who already face barriers accessing support, including ethnic minority groups, refugees and asylum seekers, people with disability, young carers and young people in care, creating indignity and a significant mental health burden through stigma;

(o)      recognises that period poverty goes hand in hand with food poverty and cuts across different policy areas, requiring a holistic, cross cutting commitment and intervention;

(p)      notes that the Labour Party’s work on religious and sex education in schools has moved us further along in terms of awareness, but proposes more needs to be done;

(q)      notes that period poverty is a particular problem in the asylum system, for those who receive under £40 a week in state support (Bloody Good Period/Women for Refugee Women, 2019);

(r)       notes that under the Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill, the Scottish Government has set up a Scotland-wide scheme to allow anyone who needs period products to get them free of charge, and gives the Scottish Government the power to make public bodies including schools, colleges and universities, provide period products for free (Scottish Parliament, 2021);

(s)      notes that as part of the Welsh Government’s Period Dignity Strategic Action Plan, funding has been provided to local authorities and Further Education institutions to ensure that period products can be accessed free of charge by learners in schools, Further Education institutions and to those in need in communities (Welsh Government, 2021);

(t)       believes that everyone who requires period products should be able to access them for free;

(u)      believes that a person’s period should not prevent them from succeeding in life;

(v)      calls on the Chief Executive to report to the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee, within the next three months, on plans to incorporate the GMB Menopause Smash the Stigma Workplace Policy, including the following:-

(i)     preventing women being disadvantaged at work because of their symptoms and because of the stigma of discussing menopause at work;

(ii)     adopting a supportive workplace model which includes manager and staff training on issues around menopause, including through the GMB, to all members of staff in work time over a 12-month period;

(iii)    adopting a more progressive and inclusive approach to supporting those who experience menopause;

(iv)    to make Sheffield a period aware city, looking at how period poverty, shame and inequality can be addressed across the Council’s areas of work and developing a "Period Equality Charter” outlining what this means for different policy areas;

(v)    looking at period poverty as part of the cost-of-living crisis, exploring ways to supply free period products, calling on schools to join the Government’s free period products scheme and promote the scheme to pupils;

(vi)    exploring what efforts the Council may be able to undertake to support and coordinate existing efforts and donations of period products to increase their impact and integrating efforts into the cost of living response;

(vii)   calling on the Government to fund provision of free period products in all public buildings;

(viii)  consider adopting a relevant HR policy as a council, e.g. menstrual leave policy, and to encourage other local businesses and organisations to make the same commitments; and

(ix)    ensuring that at future corporate-level collective bargaining negotiations, provisions are made to accept and integrate the recommendations of the GMB Smash the Stigma Workplace Policy into Council policy and procedures; and

(w)      also calls on the Chief Executive to report to the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee, within the next three months, to:-

(i)     examine the feasibility of providing free period products in public toilets and other public buildings, including the Town Hall and community centres, including exploring whether any free disposable or reusable period products provided by the Council can be sustainably sourced;

(ii)     publicise the provision of free period products and reusable period products, such as moon cups, through Council communication channels; and

(iii)    write to the Minister for Women and Equalities, calling on the UK government to make period products free and available to all who need them across England, as has been done in Scotland and Wales.