What do we do?
The IUSW is part of the GMB, one of the UK's biggest unions with over 600,000 members. We campaign for sex workers' rights at a local, national and international level - to decrease stigma and violence against sex workers, improve working conditions and create a clear and fair sex industry.
Recently we have:
- through the GMB, won the first ever unfair dismissal case for someone in the sex industry, for an adult chat line employee
- supported a member who was the victim of a tabloid newspaper sting operation
- raised £2000 to fund xtalk – free English language course for workers in the industry www.xtalkproject.net
- lobbied Scottish councils and the Executive about planned restrictions on lap dancing and prostitution
- run courses for migrant sex workers on legal and employment issues
- developed strong links with a wide range of organisations including the UK Network of Sex Work Projects, $pread Magazine(USA) and a wide range of other feminist and migrant organisations
- held a fundraising party that included performances from sex workers
- spoken at an International Labour Organisation (ILO) fringe meeting in Geneva advocating unionisation for sex workers
- addressed a Council Of Europe Committee for Equal Opportunities to an audience of MEPs, press and NGOs calling for full rights for sex workers and opposing criminalisation of clients
- protested at the Women's Library 'Prostitution: What's going on?' exhibition for its patronising and negative portrayal of sex
- attended a series of conferences attended by staff from health projects and NGOs that work with sex workers, abolitionist campaigners and sex workers’ rights activists. Despite the divergent views, there was consensus that those who sell sex should be decriminalised, and this will be included in a report aimed at national and local government
- issued press releases and fielded numerous media and public enquiries over the Ipswich murders
- and Ana Lopes (IUSW founder and President) book on sex worker unionisation was launched in October 2007