- Conference
- 2015 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 5 December 2014
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to prioritise and launch a campaign of highlighting the plight of our lowest paid members and hardships that they face on daily basis. Over the last 5 plus years we have seen a real reduction on the expendable income of all our members however our Band 1 members have seen the biggest impact on their standard of living, through the increased use of Zero hour contract, Bank contracts, Part time contracts and the wholesale outsourcing of Ancillary services. As a result we have witnessed a huge increase in the number of members classed as the Working impoverished , and the under employed with more and more of our members turning to Food banks or going hungry and all too often dependant on Payday lenders resulting in crippling debt .
In an attempt to address this never ending spiral of uncertainty and despair, Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to actively campaign for:
1) the merger of bands 1 and 2;
2) the creation of a properly funded and accessible training programme for all bands 1 to 4 staff to enable them to work in a safe manner by providing them with the necessary skills to carry out the role they are employed to do;
3) the immediate introduction of the Living wage throughout the UK as the lowest pay point with the guarantee of above inflation pay increases;
4) the creation of Career Pathways for all operational staff , properly funded and open to all which will create real opportunities for our lowest paid members who currently have little if any career progression;
5) an immediate review of all outsourced Services with a view to bringing them back in house at the earliest opportunity.
UNISON has a long and proud record of supporting our Operational Services members, this motion seeks to continue with that support and acknowledge the real hardship facing not only our band 1 members but all our low paid members’. In supporting this motion we again reaffirm that UNISON is the only union who recognises the “One Team Caring“ philosophy.