- Conference
- 2017 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 28 February 2017
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference continues to condemn the Trade Union Act 2016 in Great Britain and its various restrictive and draconian regulations to hamper the ability of unions to bargain and to advance pay and conditions in the workplace. In Wales the Act was opposed by the Wales Assembly Government and nearly every local council and health board because of its specific focus on public service trade unionism. Conference, therefore welcomes the Wales Assembly Government seeking to pass their own Trade Union Act to control industrial relations in devolved public services in areas of industrial action in ‘important public services’, facility time and the payment of union subs through pay-roll check off.
Conference notes that there are many employers, not only in Wales, willing to work with trade unions to improve services for the public and who recognise the value of trade unions. The motivation for the Wales Government proposing its own legislation was the success of its public services Workforce Partnership Council in improving services and industrial relations.
Conference therefore calls on the National Executive Council to:
1)Continue to oppose the Trade Union Act and seek its repeal at the earliest opportunity;
2)Promote the value of facility time so that if employers have to record its deployment it is in terms of the considerable benefits not just costs;
3)Recognise that away from the Westminster parliament there are important institutions and politicians with their own democratic mandates and positive commitment to trade unionism;
4)Continue to work with branches, UNISON Regions, Labour Link and the General Political Fund to build local political campaigns behind UNISON’s Objectives that win in the workplace and the ballot box and that inspire a new generation of union activists.