Cuba and Venezuela are at the forefront of the progressive changes sweeping the region. The fringe focuses on these alternatives to austerity budgets, showing what can be achieved when the needs of people are the priority.

This meeting will offer an opportunity to think about how we raise our game in local campaigns to ensure that saving public services is high on the political agenda.

On September 18 this year resident voters in Scotland will vote in a referendum: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”. What are the issues for UNISON, our members at work, the public services we provide and the communities we live in?

UNISON believes TTIP is a profound threat to public services which will not only lead to further liberalisation but which will make it harder for government to regulate private companies providing public services and could effectively prevent a future government bringing those services back in-house.

Continued attacks on jobs and pay have left our members feeling under threat and facing unprecedented levels of stress. Discuss how these factors are impacting on our H&S at work – what we can do to organise and campaign to fight back, and why recruiting more members will help in our struggle to keep us safe and healthy at work.

Palestinian people remain under occupation and the international community is failing to recognise and act against Israel’s continued breaches of international law. Join us to discuss what the next steps are in support of justice and Palestinian human rights.

Universal free school meals for infants in England will be introduced in September. Myles Bremner, the director of the School Food Plan (SFP), will be at conference to tell delegates how and why this policy has come about.

Women are disproportionately hurt by local government cuts. They make up three quarters of local government workers and they are the main users of public services. This fringe event will launch UNISON

Three speakers will outline the pressures on members and how we can respond, looking at campaigning, legal representation and supporting social work radical practice.

Speakers include Tam Waterson, Mark Ferguson, Anne Speed and Heather Wakefield.

UNISON members have been leading the campaign to expose the crisis in social care where lack of funding and privatisation have led to many being on zero hour contracts and being paid less than the minimum wage.