- Conference
- 2017 Community Service Group Conference
- Date
- 9 November 2016
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned that Tory economic policies and austerity agenda is drawing the community sector, in particular, national charities into a competitive market resulting in them placing a commercial value on services which impacts not only on the morale of workers but increasingly results in attacks to our member’s terms, conditions and pay.
More and more, charities are having to compete for funding in the ‘race to the bottom’ and to this end seeking ways in which they juggle their budgets, values and recruitment of staff but are failing miserably in doing so and increasingly appear to be adopting a private sector ethos.
There is an emerging trend in the community sector for the big charities to have comparative terms and conditions and this includes a move towards the introduction of market and regionalised pay.
Conference believes that this is a step towards the dismantling of the charitable sector and that market and regionalised pay, the removal of increments and cost of living increases and introduction of performance related pay awards contribute to inequality, economic disparity, poverty and the gender pay gap.
Conference is concerned that this is a start to the further erosion of terms and conditions of our members in the charitable sector.
Conference therefore calls on the Community Service Group Executive to:
1. Carry out a comparative analysis of the terms, conditions and pay mechanisms and structures of the top 10 main UK charities
2. Produce guidance on the impact of market and regionalised pay in the community sector
3. Regularly update branches on UNISON’s national pay strategy