Local Government and Devolution

Conference notes the ongoing devolution agenda across the UK nations – at national, regional and local government levels. While there are some welcome national government developments in relation to the Trade Union Act, health and social care integration and the treatment of the public service workforce in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are concerns […]

Youth Services Essential in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland youth services are provided by a combination of statutory and voluntary resources. A budget of £38 million from the NI budget and administered by the education authority underpins these resources. UNISON members working across both sectors have been involved in discussions responding to a major review of youth services. Statutory services are […]

Disabled Workers at the Sharp end of the Housing Crisis

Conference notes the depth and scale of the housing crisis the UK is facing, a crisis that has been gathering for decades but which has reached a crescendo with the Conservatives’ ideological war on council housing. Thousands of UNISON members delivering housing services have seen their employers change from local authorities to housing associations and […]

Protecting Education Support Workers’ Terms and Conditions Post Brexit

Along the 310 mile soft border on the island of Ireland a number of Northern Ireland schools attract pupils and workers from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In some circumstances the journey to and from their workplace is only a few miles. UNISON members working in support services in these schools have […]

Zero Hours and Black Workers

In recent news it has reported that unemployment has hit a record low. What these statistics do not report is that a large proportion of this is because of the increase in zero hours contracts. Employers have increasingly been turning to zero hours contracts as part of the general attack on staff terms and conditions […]

Black Workers and In-work Poverty

Conference notes that despite efforts to bring further equality into society, evidence shows that Black workers are still being held back in the work place. Inequalities in employment and income persist, and for many Black workers, this impacts upon their standard of living and increases their experience of living in poverty. According to the Department […]

Further Education Area Reviews – Protecting Disabled Workers’ Jobs

Conference notes the continuing impact of the area review process in post-16 education which has seen a wave of mergers (and failed mergers) across the further education (FE) sector. Further education has already lost around 30,000 experienced staff, half of whom are support staff, since 2009. The area review process has resulted in further job […]

Social Care Cuts

This service group conference notes with deep concern the disastrous effects of massive funding reductions for social care services, with spending on these services being forecast to fall below 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020. The appalling effects of these cuts are increasingly experienced on a daily basis by UNISON members working in […]

Working Together In Local Government

Conference notes UNISON’s Working Together guidelines and recognises the benefits of abiding by these guidelines. Ensuring all activists and members are aware of these guidelines gives everyone confidence to contribute and engage to their full potential which ultimately makes our union stronger. The Working Together guidelines remind all members of the importance of respect, accessibility […]

Keeping Pay Equal

Despite longstanding UK and EU equal pay legislation, there are still women working in local government and private contractors providing local government services who are paid much less than they should be compared to men. Conference believes that changes are needed to make UK equal pay legislation more effective and that government austerity policy is […]

Term Time Working

This conference believes that in many schools and local authorities, staff on term time only contracts are being treated less favourably than their full time colleagues in respect of their pay and other conditions of service. UNISON has seen many examples of term time staff not receiving their pro-rata entitlements to benefits such as pay, […]

Food Standards Agency – Pay, Terms & Conditions

Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are under extreme pressure and that recent meat and food scandals may become the norm as we negotiate our way out of the European Union and into the hands of unknown trade deals. Conference also notes the numbers of Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHI) […]

Support Library and Cultural services

Conference recognises libraries and cultural services, such as museums and public parks, have been suffering financial cuts over many years as councils struggle under the government’s austerity policies. There has been a systematic attack on the term and conditions of and undermining of the professionalism of people still employed in these services. Conference recognises the […]

Social Work Support is a Right for Asylum Seekers

Conference notes that the clear intention of the UK government is to create a ‘hostile environment’ for would-be migrants to the UK in order to reduce immigration and meet commitments made to the electorate – regardless of internal or external implications and consequences, be they economic or humanitarian. Asylum seekers, to whom the UK have […]

Organising in FE Colleges

Conference notes that whilst UNISON represents 30,000 members working in further education and sixth form colleges across the UK, our members work in a variety of roles, including: training and assessment; technical; library services; facilities; administration; specialist learning support, curriculum support; catering; IT, data; finance, procurement, we note the threat they are under. There continues […]