- Conference
- 2006 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 27 October 2005
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that at present the Self-Organised Groups (SOGs),as well as regions, the Young Members’ Forum and retired members, are only permitted to submit a total of two motions, including any rule amendments, to National Delegate Conference. Furthermore, a proposal to increase this to four motions was defeated at National Delegate Conference 2005.
Conference believes that the current limit acts as a bar to SOGs being able to put forward rule amendments, if a SOG wants to submit a rule amendment to National Delegate Conference then they are forced to forego one of their two motions to do this, as has happened to both the lesbian and gay SOG, prior to its redesignation as the LGBT SOG, and the black members’ SOG in recent years. In addition, it specifically disadvantages the women’s SOG which represents 76 per cent of UNISON’s membership, a factor which should be reflected in the submission of motions and amendments to rule to UNISON’s sovereign body.
Conference believes this anomaly needs to be addressed and the SOGs, young members, retired members and regions should have their entitlement increased to enable them to submit two motions and two amendments to rule to National Delegate Conference.
Conference therefore instructs the National Women’s Committee to:
1)liaise with the National Executive Council, the other SOGs, the Young Members’ Forum, the retired members and the regions to gain support for this increase;
2)ask women members to urge their branches to submit the appropriate amendment to rule to National Delegate Conference 2006;
3)report back to National Women’s Conference 2007.