BRANCH DISABILITY OFFICER

This Conference believes disabled people encounter particular disadvantage in the workforce and therefore propose that the post of Disabled Members Officer should be included in the Rule Book, to work specifically on behalf of disabled members, this post should be occupied by a disabled person. We therefore call for Rule G.4.1.1 to be amended as […]

ACCESS TO WORK

This Conference notes that many disabled people receive funding from Access to Work (ATW) to employ a support worker or reader. This means that the person in receipt of ATW has the same legal responsibilities as all employers, such as having in place grievance and disciplinary policies/procedures, providing an employment contract, sorting out tax and […]

POST CODE LOTTERY AND DISCRIMINATION OF WORKERS WITH CANCER

Conference welcomes the great advances in cancer research. This has meant the availability of new drugs and treatment therapies, for some of the most common cancers affecting patients in the United Kingdom, resulting in many more people surviving, living and working with cancer. Cancer has a very strong impact on women. For example the vast […]

UNISON DISABILITY EQUALITY SCHEME

Conference notes the recent implementation regarding Disability Equality Schemes. 1.We call upon the NDMC/NEC to liaise with a)Service groups to monitor what is happening in branches; b)Send out guidance to branches to encourage employers to promote Disability Equality in the workplace. c)Liaise with all service groups, the Audit Commission and the Disability Rights Commission to […]

HARMONISATION OF FREE TRAVEL FOR DISABLED PEOPLE

Conference agrees that the concept of free bus travel for disabled people and those aged 60 and above has been a welcome advance for many citizens within the United Kingdom. However, we are concerned that some local authorities issue travel vouchers instead of an open permit for free travel. Vouchers, by their nature, ration the […]

UNISON’S EQUALITY SCHEME AND DISABLED MEMBERS

Conference welcomes the decision to develop a UNISON Equality Scheme covering every function of UNISON – recruitment and organising, negotiating and representing members, campaigning and promoting UNISON, and UNISON’s internal functions as an employer and service provider. UNISON is rightly proud of its leading profile in the field of equalities and its provision of a […]

DISABILITY EQUALITY – MYTH OR REALITY?

This conference has previously welcomed the Disability Equality Duty placed on employers in December 2006. In particular, the general duty includes some powerful statements on the need for public sector employers and employers with public functions to: ·promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons ·promote positive attitudes towards disabled people ·encourage participation […]

DISABILITY LEAVE

Disability Leave is an important agenda for the majority of our disabled members, as without this, through no fault of their own, they are subject to the timebound sickness procedures operated within organisations. We thank the National Disabled SOG Committee for the work that has been undertaken in compiling and distributing the Disability Policy Guidelines […]

DISABLED WOMEN’S ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES & DISABLED WOMEN’S HEALTH ISSUES

Conference notes with concern the number of health issues that affect disabled women, in light of closures, cuts and the implementation of new legislation. Conference recognises that disabled LGBT women have further issues for example, around the recognition of their same sex partners as next-of-kin, sexual health issues being overlooked and sometimes homophobic attitudes in […]

DISABILITY EQUALITY DUTY – LOCAL ENFORCEMENT

Conference agrees that since the Disability Equality Duty was placed upon public sector employers in December 2006, in many cases the application has been more wishful than realistic. We fear that public sector employers would rather pay lip service to the duty than actually deliver. Conference having already affirmed in 2005 its support for local […]

Defending Agenda for Change

Conference notes that as we move onwards from Agenda for Change (AFC) implementation and assimilation, we are starting to lose the valuable skills of staff side job evaluators, job matchers and KSF advisors. As local staff sides (and in particular the participation of UNISON representatives), we are increasingly finding ourselves with diminishing resources resulting in […]

Privatisation and Private Consultancy Firms

This Conference views with disgust how in the 10 years of a New Labour Government the large legal and accountancy firms have been able to increase their financial turnover and profits from the public pulse strings. The grand offices of these organizations such as Herbert Smith, Eversheds, Price Waterhouse Cooper and KPMG have been furnished […]

Making the Gender Equality Duty work for all women in local government

Conference welcomes the new duty on local authorities and other public bodies in England, Scotland and Wales to proactively promote gender equality, following the similar, longer-standing duty in Northern Ireland. The gender duty requires local authorities, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to: 1Promote equality of opportunity between women […]

LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Conference notes that since Labour came into power in 1997, parts of local government have received welcome investment and started to recover from the lean Tory years. For example, by 2007/8, local government in England will have seen a 39% increase in overall funding in real terms since 1997. Much of this has been in […]

STRATEGIC SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS

Conference notes the continuing trend of local authorities to sign up with a private company to provide a Strategic Service Partnership. This can occur even when an authority is functioning well and for no other reason than an attempt to bring ‘new’ jobs to an area. The Local Government White Paper and Local Government Bill […]