- Conference
- 2025 Water, Environment & Transport Conference
- Date
- 8 February 2025
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference is only too aware of the national disgrace that is our water industry. Whether this be the pollutions into our waterways or the way they are funded and run. That is why the excellent report, ‘Clean water: A case for public ownership’, was welcomed. This report exposes the exact state of the industry and what we as a public services trade union can do to act.
The Chair of UNISON’s Water Industry Sector Committee (WISC), Natalie Mladenovic-Haigh, introduces the report by saying – “Water is a basic human right. We all depend on it to sustain our lives. Our members and citizens – working across all sectors of public services and the economy – demand change in our water system. They want access to clean water and are calling for solutions to fix our broken water system, which has allowed water companies to put profit over people and the environment, to the detriment of society”.
In Parliament: Launching UNISON’s Water Report, Clive Lewis – Member of Parliament (MP) said “the public has lost trust in the ability of government to deliver for them in so many areas. Water is just one of them. It is so clear that the public wants root and branch reform of how our water is managed. People want control and some kind of a democratic say in how our water – a critical national resource – is managed”.
This successful launch in Parliament in December 2024, and the numbers of MPs in attendance on the day was very encouraging. We must keep the momentum going. There is a very real opportunity for our service group to create a tidal wave on a national scale and it is one we must not miss.
Conference calls on the Water, Environment and Transport SGE to:
1)Take every opportunity to lobby MPs and all sympathetic groups to disseminate the Water Report.
2)Take up any speaking engagements when invited to promote the Water Report’s acceptance.
3)Collaborate with UNISON’s labour link to ensure they are fully on board and use all their communication channels to reach out to all MPs to adopt the Water Report as a priority for parliamentary business.
4)Assist the WISC group to distribute the Water Report and highlight UNISON’s position to its members.
5)Continue to liaise and support our sponsoring MP Clive Lewis to raise this issue and bring together a majority of MPs in favour of Public Ownership.
6)Update the Water Report with the latest data since this was last published and consider giving a progress report at the next Branch Seminar.