- Conference
- 2022 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 10 December 2021
- Decision
- Carried
This Conference notes that recruitment of young members continues to increase year on year, including in the Health sector, with over 27,000 new young members joining UNISON in 2020.
This conference notes that young members continue, however, to be under-represented as UNISON stewards, representatives and officers.
Conference notes the success of the student nurse network in engaging healthcare students to participate more actively in UNISON and develop as workplace activists.
Conference believes that the full participation of young members is vital to the success of the union in developing a sustainable activist base for the future and making sure that the voices of young workers are heard.
Conference asks the Health Service Group Executive to:
1. Work with the National Young Members Forum (NYMF) to develop a strategy to increase the numbers of young activists across the Health sector;
2. Promote the NYMF’s report “Getting Active in UNISON” to Health branches who want to develop a plan to increase activity by young members;
3. Survey branches across the sector to identify both challenges and success stories in developing young activists;
4. Encourage and support Health branches to develop mentoring and buddying schemes to support new young activists, including promoting UNISON’s Learning and Organising Service’s (LAOS) resources on mentoring.
5. Continue to promote UNISON’s student membership to student nurses, midwives, and other members in relevant education pathways;
6. Continue to work on developing effective ways of engaging healthcare students in UNISON activism during their period of study and beyond.