Conference notes: The expansion of university education which has taken place over the last few decades has changed the public perception of higher education. Many more people have family members at, or with aspirations of going to university than was the case in the 20th century, when higher education was perceived as only for the […]
Conference motions
Conference commends the work achieved in 2024, which was UNISON’s the year of LGBT+ workers. The year has been celebrated up and down the country and by branches in every service group in many ways. This year was used to celebrate the LGBT+ Self Organised Group’s (SOG) considerable achievements and to highlight the continued discrimination […]
Conference notes the incredibly distressing situation in Gaza, other parts of Israel/Palestine and the Middle East. The International Court of Justice and other observers have highlighted a clear risk of genocide of the Palestinian people due to the actions of the Israeli government and armed forces, which have led (at the time of writing) to […]
Conference notes the motion passed at our 2024 conference “Fund our universities properly”. We note and regret that the gloomy financial scenario outlined there is being borne out, with HEIs in all parts of the UK struggling to balance their books. Conference believes: • That this situation is unsustainable and we reaffirm our commitment to […]
Conference notes UNISON’s long-standing and well established campaigning for better, more secure terms and conditions for all workers. Millions of workers in the UK remain in insecure forms of work, with a TUC study in 2022 showing that 3.7 million workers in the UK were in insecure forms of work such as zero hours contracts, […]
Conference is opposed to the hostile environment and to political and legislative attacks by politicians against migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers. Conference asserts that it stands with migrant workers in the workplace and beyond. Conference condemns all forms of hostility to those seeking a better life elsewhere. The riots in the summer of 2024 […]
Climate change is set to be one of the defining issues of this generation. Climate change related impacts are increasing year on year with the most vulnerable and marginalised in our communities affected disproportionately. UNISON has been engaged on the climate debate since 1994 recognising it as a trade union issue affecting all workers, their […]
Higher Education pay continues to fall behind, both in relation to the real rising costs of living which our members face, and similar jobs done across the public and private sectors. We’ve been through a period of extreme inflation, which has pushed up the price of food, energy, transport and housing costs, but our wages […]
Conference notes and reaffirms our policy on Higher Education funding passed at our 2024 conference in the motions “Fund our universities properly” and “A new start for Higher Education”. Conference recognises that Higher Education benefits the individuals who study in our Higher Education Institutions, and we reaffirm our commitment to access to education for everyone […]
Conference notes that in many Higher Education Institutions professional support staff have significantly lower entitlement to annual leave than academic staff. This disparity is unfair and unjustifiable. Higher Education professional support staff across the country provide a vital service to our universities and students by carrying out hugely varied roles across our HEIs, too often […]
We are watching a crisis unfold in Higher Education across the UK – a crisis that was entirely predictable – it is bringing a wave of voluntary and compulsory redundancy and severance schemes to universities and students’ unions across the country. It is our understanding that as many as 50 HE Institutions nationally, (6 out […]
Gender Based Violence (GBV) includes a range of behaviours which are recognised in society as being both the cause and consequence of gender inequality. GBV is largely, although not exclusively, perpetrated by men and experienced by women. GBV is both a women’s and a trade union issue. GBV is recognised as a society wide issue, […]
Black disabled people have faced, and continue to face, marginalisation within our society. We need to take action to address Black disabled members specific needs, allowing our voices to be heard and for us not to be left behind; we need to call out existing inequality. Despite progress in promoting diversity and inclusion, Black disabled […]
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) remains one of the most stigmatised long-term health conditions. Our members living with HIV often face stigma, discrimination, prejudice, bullying and harassment in the workplace, in healthcare settings, and in their daily lives. HIV stigma – negative attitudes and beliefs about people living with or affected […]
Conference is concerned that the current Hate Crime Laws are in disarray, and the recording of crimes that are ‘hate’ motivated is inconsistent. The manufactured culture wars have enabled malicious players to twist the rhetoric to make some groups ‘less deserving’ of protections than others. This has manifested via the latest College of Policing (CoP) […]