Rise Festival

Conference condemns the recent decision by the newly elected Tory Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to take anti-racist campaigning and politics out of the annual Rise Festival. In a statement issued to trade unions last week, and confirmed in writing to UNISON on Tuesday, Johnson’s Director of Cultural Policy stated that the explicitly anti-racist campaigning […]

Burma

Conference notes with growing alarm the unfolding natural disaster in Burma. Conference is appalled at the response by the military junta in Burma to the natural disaster of Cyclone Nargis, illustrating as it does the contempt in which the regime holds the well-being of its own people. The failure to put in place any meaningful […]

EU Treaty

Conference notes that in the only test of public acceptability that has been given to any of the nations of Europe on the Lisbon Treaty (the latest incarnation of the European Constitution), the people of Ireland voted decisively to reject it on the 11th June .Conference welcomes the Irish vote. This historic vote to scrap […]

Fuel Costs and Mileage Rates

Defend Our Schools

Opposing the far right and promoting community cohesion

Conference welcomes the development of a national policy on vulnerable workers; congratulates UNISON members and activists on the success of the ongoing campaign against the far right and notes the success of the ongoing campaign against the British National Party (BNP) over the past year. However, the growth and influence of the far right will […]

Social Care

Conference condemns the continuing drive towards further privatisation and fragmentation of social care services but welcomes genuine initiatives to improve standards of care to service users. In this respect the use of personal care budgets as a source of greater independence and control for service users merits investigation. However, Conference views with concern that this […]

Academies

This Local Government Service Group reaffirms its opposition to the Government’s academies programme. We note with concern the Government’s plan to increase the number of academies to 400. We believe that this expansion will lead to the increased privatisation marketisation of education and encourage the development of the two tier workforce. The government is putting […]

School Staff National Negotiations

Conference is aware that there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of support and professional staff employed in schools over the last 5 years. In addition, their roles and responsibilities have also increased however pay has not always kept place with this. Conference notes the Secretary of State, Ed Balls’, announcement last autumn, […]

The Equality Duties

Conference recognises that the Public Sector Equality Duties are a real opportunity for progress on equality in local government and welcomes the recent UNISON guidance on using the equality duties and the development of UNISON’s own equality scheme. The EOC (now EHRC) Guidance code lists key employment issues that should be considered by public authorities […]

Pay for Local Government Workers Covered by the National Joint Council (NJC)

Conference condemns the Government proposed 3 year 2% public sector pay ceiling. With inflation at more than 4% for the past year this is effectively a pay cut and at the same time pay rises in the private sector are running at 3.5% – 4%. Conference also condemns the blatant hypocrisy demonstrated by a majority […]

Local Government Reorganisation

High quality public services can be delivered through two-tier or unitary local government structures where supported by adequate resources, a fairly paid and properly developed workforce, and a healthy respect and enthusiasm for democratic accountability to the local community. Proposals to create new unitary authorities should therefore be rigorously assessed to evaluate the level and […]

The Two Tier Workforce and Review of Best Value

Conference notes the statutory guidance on ‘Safe, Strong and Prosperous Communities’ which replaces existing guidance from 2003 on ‘Best Value’. The sections which deal with workforce issues – including the ‘Best Value Code of Practice on Workforce Matters’ on the two tier workforce – are also withdrawn and replaced. The Best Value Code followed the […]

Shared Services

Conference notes: 1.that current government policies envisage a major expansion of collaboration and shared services to both ‘join-up’ delivery and to meet the requirements of harsh efficiency savings, affecting all parts of the UK and this especially impacts on members in local government.. 2.that Government policy is pushing an agenda of shared services as part […]

Gun and Knife Crime

This Conference notes with concern that gang culture is widespread amongst some young people within some parts of the UK. Increasingly, young people are joining gangs, often carrying imitation or real firearms and knives, both for protection and as part of their image. Conference believes that the devastating consequences of gun and knife crime across […]